BUSINESS________________________________________________________
Regularly discuss with your husband and
children their perceptions, opinions and
even objections about your work This will
give you better insight into their feelings
and aspirations, making it easier for you
to manage their expectations and
perceptions. Also ensure the entire family
understands your obligations and
responsibilities at work, so there would be
more consideration from them. Establish
limits and clear boundaries between
family and work. Determine which
actions are acceptable and which ones
unacceptable for at home or work.
Boundaries protect your work from the
distraction of family, and protect your
family involvement from the obligations
at work. For me these are all my Non-
Negotiables and goes into a Non-
Negotiable tray.
Be very disciplined about it and do not
overstep these boundaries as it might lead
to distrust and disgruntlement. This is
hard but totally worth it, as closing your
mind from work, will translate into giving
quality time to your family and they’ll love
you for it. Ultimately you would also need
to be able to switch work off completely,
and give more time to yourself, just as
much as you would to family - in order to
maintain a healthy body and mind.
It would be impossible to perfectly
balance everything in your life at all times.
For example, when a family member is
sick, you may need to skip a work event.
Or when an important deadline must be
met, you might need to miss dinner at
home and stay working in the office late.
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Always ensure you have supportive means in
place to deal with these occurrences. Ask for
help, negotiate fairly for what you need, and
learn how to delegate effectively and
responsibly. For me these are in my
Negotiables and goes into that Negotiable
tray. So, from the beginning, plan for what is
Negotiable and up for grabs and what is
NOT.
At the office let superiors, colleagues, and
management know what’s important to
you, what you value, and how you want
your life to be. Tell them what’s high on
your priority so they would know when
and how they can provide support. You
would be surprised by how supportive
colleagues can be.
For total peace of mind at the office
ensure you leave your kids in capable
hands. Find someone you feel
comfortable and confident with. Get
involved with these care providers by
communicating frequently and observing
interactions between caregiver and your
child.