Being a working mum gives a whole new meaning to work-life balance. Performing at work, keeping on top of everything at home (PE kits don’t wash themselves) and let’s not forget also being an amazing mum/partner/daughter. With all those balls in the air, keeping them all up at the same time is a full-time job in itself. 

So what can you do to improve your work-life balance at work and at home? 

 

1. Communicate boundaries  
  • Flag when you are available at work and make colleagues and clients aware of your availability and stick to them. This removes the pressure to keep checking work emails out of hours.  
  • Learn to say no. It’s a tricky but important part of setting boundaries to free up time and energy to say “yes” to more important things. 

 

2. Ask for flexibility 

Have an open conversation with your manager about your needs/ conflicts to see if your job can be more flexible with part-time work, hybrid, reduced hours, job sharing or working from home. 

 

3. Take a break 
  • A 15 minute break every 75-90 minutes allows your brain to consolidate and retain learning whilst improving concentration, reducing stress and making work more enjoyable 
  • Avoid eating at your desk and working through lunch 
  • Take all your annual leave, to unwind and recharge. Handing over work to trusted colleagues will make you feel less stressed about what you’ll be coming back to and avoid the need to take work with 

 

4. Prioritise your health 

Recognise the importance of maintaining your physical health, emotional well-being and mental fitness and make time for it.

 

5. Prioritise quality time 
  • Identify what’s truly important to you and where you want to devote your time.  A ‘values’ exercise is a really good way to kick this off, which a coach can help you with 
  • Make time for your friends/ relationships as creating solid connections and social support is important to your health and wellbeing 

 

6. Let go of perfectionism 

The stress it causes accumulates over time so learn to accept you aren’t always going to get it “right”. 

 

7. Ask for help 

You don’t have to do it all and we all need to ask for help sometimes. Reviewing your priorities will help you work out what you’d be comfortable getting help with. 


This article was written by Lorraine Petken one of the Careering into Motherhood Partner Coaches.  She works with HR professionals during transition points in their careers, either moving to a more senior role, working within a new company, going through periods of significant change and women returners.  She also works with individuals wanting to clarify their career path, wanting to assess their values, align their priorities and achieve a better work-life balance.  To book a free discovery call to learn more, go to Lorraine’s profile page.