10 Tips For Balancing Career And Family

Popular 10 Tips For Balancing Career And Family Contributing Writer Jenna Arcand January 14, 2022 {"adCodes": [{"desktop": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e ", "display": false, "mobile": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e ", "order": 0, "tablet": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e "}, {"desktop": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e ", "display": false, "mobile": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e ", "order": 1, "tablet": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e "}, {"desktop": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e ", "display": false, "mobile": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e ", "order": 2, "tablet": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e "}, {"desktop": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e", "display": false, "mobile": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e", "order": 3, "tablet": "\u003cdiv class=\u0027rblad-wit_content\u0027\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"}], "adsOrder": [2]}

Balancing a career and family is a common concern for most individuals. However, it’s important to realize the smallest of changes can produce the strongest of impacts.

I’ve often worked jobs that required evening and weekend hours. The question is: What can we do?

1. Morning Gratitude Moment

When you wake up in the morning, don’t jump out of bed for your workout immediately, or drag yourself to the washroom. Sit up straight, relax, and close your eyes. Say to yourself, “I am grateful for those who support me, believe in me, and are always there for me.” Say this with a deep breath in between each time you say it, and I recommend saying it for a full five minutes. When you open your eyes and look at everything around you—keep that moment of gratitude with you, throughout your day, reminding yourself how you can’t wait to get home to your loving family.

2. Workout Partners

Begin your day by stretching with your family and doing some physical activity together. All you need is 10 minutes. You’ve accomplished a two-for-one: physical activity and family time!

3. Family Playlist

On your shared streaming service, make a playlist of your family’s favorite music. When you take a break at work or feel a negative moment getting the best of you, listen to that music, think about your family, and regain your focus. Music is a powerful voice and has the ability to affect our mindset. Your family playlist will energize you and improve your mood.

4. Daily Phone Call

At least once a day, call or text your significant other or your kids and repeat Stevie Wonder: “I just called to say I love you, I just called to say how much I care.” Let your family know they are always in your thoughts. Even in the face of a big deadline or an important meeting, that moment will relax you and make your family smile!

5. Clarify Your Work Hours & Expectations

Discuss with your boss his/her expectations of you in regards to your time and your position to foster a mutual and clear understanding of your role. Should your role involve evening/weekend hours, and tasks such as answering emails, working from home, or extra time needed for special projects, establish a strategy and discuss with your boss how to meet these expectations so you don’t feel overwhelmed and pulled between your family and your job. If you are a new parent, have family members who require special needs, or have personal circumstances which require attention, bring these up as necessary, so if you have to leave early, there is an understanding of why this is the case.

6. Socializing At Work

It’s common for colleagues to hang out after work. Say yes when your significant other and/or kids are also busy. This will balance things out more. There are times to have beers with colleagues, but there are also times to go home, relax, watch a movie, and simply have fun with your family.

7. Buffer Moment

We all deal with a lot at work and at times might get irritated or annoyed. Remember you are a human being, not a robot, and thus it’s acceptable to have a buffer moment for these feelings. Take a deep breath, zone into your happy place that involves your family, think about how your energy can be used towards something else, and move on.

8. Yoda Philosophy

As Yoda put it, “Do or do not, there is no try.” Don’t try to leave at 6:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.; just do it. Allocate the last half-hour of your day to do the following and leave at 5:30/6:00 p.m.:

• For two minutes, take deep breaths, in and out, looking away from your desk, feeling the moment of gratitude you felt in the morning. Turn back to focus on leaving to see your family at home.
• Organize your emails based on what is to be reviewed, what requires follow-up, and what needs a response after your breakfast/snack/meal. Your emails are emails, not a to-do list.
• Write out your to-do list, priorities, goals, and key items for the next day.
• Double-check that you have a water bottle and healthy desk snacks.
• Organize your desk so that your to-do list is in front of you, papers for review are next to your list, and keep a pen ready with blank paper to jot down extra notes. Don’t always rely on your computer; rely on yourself and your mind.

9. Phone And TV-Free Dinner

At the dinner table, leave your phone and turn off the TV. Focus on your family, not on work, and use this as a time to bring all your energy, your aura, and your being in the moment with the people who support and believe in what you do, and love you for the ability to do what you do.

10. Your Work Journal

Keep a two-week work diary: try to track every fifteen minutes of your work time. After that, analyze for, and attack, any inefficiencies! This will import balance in your day and yield a well-deserved coffee break, a breath of fresh air, and time to make your daily family phone call!

Does email control you and take you away from your priority list, and thus your work-life balance? Organizational skills are an important factor in how you balance your day, affecting your work-life balance. Get organized and get happy! You'll find that work-life balance sooner than you think.

Need help finding a job that prioritizes work-life balance?

Check out our FREE resources page!

Or, join our career growth club today and get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!

If you want more FREE career advice, follow us on TikTok!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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work life balance {"customDimensions": {"1":"Contributing Writer, Jenna Arcand","3":"balancing career and family, work life balance, career, family, how to balance career and family, work, balancing family and work, career advice, working moms, working dads, working parents, working mothers, working fathers, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823762, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823814, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823880, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823831, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823858, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823849, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823832, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823874, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823843, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823861, ~rmsc:rebelmouse-image:28823875","4":"01/14/2022"}, "post": {"split_testing": {}, "providerId": 14, "sections": [0, 370480899, 479660731, 473310813, 473333499], "buckets": [], "authors": [19549328, 19836096]} } Get Some LeverageSign up for The Work It Daily NewsletterEnter emailSubscribeFollow window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/22278042776,22664312254/wit/wit_multiplex', ['fluid'], 'wit_multiplex').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.enableServices(); googletag.display('wit_multiplex'); }); Personal Branding What's A Personal Brand And Why Do You Need One? Sean Harry Kelly Kuehn Jenna Arcand January 13, 2022

When you think about personal branding, a few questions might come to mind: What is a personal brand? Why do I need to develop my personal brand? How do I create a personal brand? Of course, you don't really “create" a personal brand. You already have one.

What Can Influence Your Personal Brand?

Don't believe me? Google your name followed by your hometown.

If you have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile, your name probably comes up on the first page. Perhaps you have more social media profiles. Maybe you've recently been mentioned in a local news article.

All of these things are part of your personal brand. Scary? Get over it. It's already out there and you can't do anything about it. What you can do is manage your personal brand so what people see about you is what you want them to see.

The History Of Personal Branding

Personal branding was popularized by an article by Tom Peters first published in Fast Company Magazine ("A Brand Called You") over 20 years ago.

He starts out the article by writing, "Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."

How Do You Create A Personal Brand?

When I read that 20 years ago, I implicitly knew he was right but I didn't understand how a person could go about creating their own personal brand.

The only brands I knew of were huge corporations with hefty advertising and marketing budgets. What could a lone individual do to create their own personal brand?

Then along came the internet, and social networking, and web 2.0, and Google, and then blogs, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many other applications entered the scene and made it virtually impossible for anyone to keep from creating a personal brand, whether they wanted to or not.

How To Effectively Manage Your Personal Brand

Here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand.

1. Make Your Personal Brand Clear

Be clear about the image you intend to project. If you have more than one message, you run the risk of confusing people about what you are all about.

2. Make Your Personal Brand Consistent

Make certain your brand message is consistent across all platforms. For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.

3. Back Up Statements In Your Personal Brand

Back up any broad statements with objective proof via quantifiable information. Show numbers of what you have done to back up your claims.

4. Keep Your Personal Brand Short, Sweet, And To The Point

Your personal brand isn't your life story. Keep it brief. Can you state your value proposition in 10 words or less? If not, you run the risk of being forgettable—the death knell of any brand.

Having a great personal brand will help you stand out from others and make you more marketable as a job candidate. Knowing who you are, what your goals are, and what message you want to send to employers is crucial for keeping up in the competitive job search.

Do you need help crafting your personal brand?

Check out our FREE resources page!

Or, join our career growth club today and get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!

If you want more FREE career advice, follow us on TikTok!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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