Exclusive Community of 19,000 Mom Bloggers

Fantastic Friday - Balancing Home and Work - Family Time and Networking

Fantastic Friday - it is fantastic to be come up with a plan to balance work and home.

Each Fantastic Friday throughout the month of November will be dedicated to the work//home balancing act. Previous articles have covered the plan fail dichotomy and balancing work vacations and school schedules. In upcoming weeks the Fantastic Friday articles will cover balancing home and work when priorities change and how to make each side feel special. This Fantastic Friday is about family time vs office networking time.

: photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc
Fantastic Friday, family, work, balance, superwoman

It is a fact of life that modern workers have obligations to their families as well as obligations to their work. In the past, parents could get out of obligations at their children's schools by saying they had work obligations. The children would be disappointed, but would understand and the parent would go to the work event. Today, children are less understanding of obligations other than their own.

This week is American Education Week, my children's elementary school invited parents to come to school to see learning in action. All three of my children wanted me to visit their classes. My husband has a hurt ankle and was thus unable to attend. So at the same time I was due in three different classrooms. I started in one twin's kindergarten class, moved to the next and then on to the fourth grade class. At the same time, I was had to prepare for two social media jobs I was applying for and the project management position I needed to get.

My children did not care that I had work obligations. They did not care that I had to put on my Superwoman cape and be in three places at once. The clients whose social media accounts I was attempting to obtain did not care about me not wanting to disappoint my children. But, this was one of those occasions where I had to put on my big girl panties and get the jobs done. This is real life, this is what grown ups, people who have work and family have to do every day of the week.

As a business person with obligations to do professional networking and parents with obligations to our children we must find ways to balance work and home and keep both sides satisfied with our performance. Sometimes finding balance means that we must divide our time intelligently. For example, during the upcoming holiday season, instead of staying at the office party for for all four hours you only stay for two. Finding balance may mean that you may have to arrive at the office party is two hours late so that you can go to your children's school event first, Other times finding balance may mean that you are typing business notes into your smart phone during a school play.

In reality, there only 24 hours in each day and you must find a way to balance all your obligations at home and at work. So the question for you this Fantastic Friday is how do you balance your obligations at home and work?

Tags: Friday, and, balance, fantastic, home, networking, work