10 Tips for Balancing Motherhood and Work to Create a Work-Life Balance

While balancing motherhood and work has been a challenge that women have faced for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic created a “year like no other” for working moms. As professionals across the globe began working from home, women often found themselves juggling the responsibility of caring for their families alongside nurturing their careers in new ways. As they did, some women grappled with a “double shift” of household responsibilities. and struggled to maintain both domestic and professional responsibilities—let alone having time for self-care and relaxation. “It’s not something that’s just unique to entrepreneurs,” Michelle Carroll said at a BizHack Live webinar. “This is something that most working moms are faced with.” With working from home becoming more common for modern professionals, ensuring work hours are kept separate from leisure time is essential for maintaining a work-life balance daily. Creating a work-life balance includes cultivating a healthy lifestyle that gives you time to invest in your work, relationships, and self-care, Carroll said. Your lifestyle becomes unhealthy when you begin to choose work over your personal life consistently. However, Carroll encouraged those balancing motherhood and work to know that there is no “perfect” work-life balance that works for every person. Each person is unique in finding a lifestyle that works for them. “There is no magic formula or one-size-fits-all approach to finding work-life balance,” Carroll said. As the world begins a gradual return to normalcy, mastering work-life balance as a working mom has become more important than ever. For proven tips and tricks that can help female professionals create and maintain a successful and fulfilling work-home balance, keep reading.

TL;DR: 10 Tips And Tricks For Balancing Motherhood And Work

1. Keep in mind what your motivation is behind working in your field, and stay true to the mission and goals you have for yourself.
2. Adopt healthy habits like drinking water, maintaining a balanced diet, moving your body regularly, and sleeping enough.
3. Establish a daily routine to set expectations for yourself each day and have consistent activities that keep you engaged and grounded.
4. Make time for self-care regularly by doing something that you enjoy or that helps you relax.
5. Outsource tasks or hire extra help if you can to take some responsibilities off your plate that may be adding to your stress.
6. Make your office space a happy place to work. Play music, decorate with encouraging words and photos, or reduce clutter!
7. Learn to set boundaries with your friends, family, and colleagues. It’s OK to say no!
8. Take time to unplug by turning off your phone, television, or computer.
9. Lean into your friends, family, and coworkers when you need extra help or someone to vent frustrations to. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
10. Remember the law of attraction: you will attract the energy you give in the world. Manifest and visualize what you wish to feel or achieve.

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Tip #1: Know Your Why

The first tip in balancing motherhood and work is to nail down your personal motivation for working in your field. Carroll described this personal motivation as a mission statement that outlines your purpose in doing what you do and what you hope to accomplish while doing it. To create your mission statement that guides your priorities when conducting your day-to-day life, you can start by defining your passions and outlining which aspects of your life you feel are the most important. You can draw on important causes that you feel strongly about or your personal belief system for this tip. To continually define and reshape your “why,” Carroll suggested creating vision boards that visualize your goals for the future or establishing a “word of the year” that encapsulates what you would like your life to look like for the coming 12 months. Knowing their “why” can allow female professionals to be creative in making a strong foundation for their daily lives based on what is important to them.

Tip #2: Adopt Healthy Habits

While it may seem obvious, taking care of your physical health is critical. But it can sometimes be more than challenging to achieve, and many women balancing motherhood and work often put themselves last. However, working women must consider their happiness and how it impacts how they are feeling physically. Carroll recommended that female professionals take time out of their busy lives to prioritize their well-being with these habits:

• Drink the recommended amount of water for your body weight every day.
• Eat a balanced diet and being conscious of what food you put in your body and how it makes you feel.
• Take time to get up and regularly move, whether going for a walk or jog or doing yoga.
• Get a full night of sleep. This works to improve your mood and energy levels!

Tip #3: Establish a Daily Routine

According to Carroll, establishing a daily routine helps women reduce their stress and increase their focus each day. These routine tasks can include drinking a glass of water when you wake up, meditating or praying each morning, or making a to-do list that outlines your expectations for yourself. While it may be easy to work around the clock as a professional working from home, working women must follow a regular work schedule as much as possible. This can include setting boundaries with your workplace and allotting yourself certain hours each week reserved for leisure activities or spending time with loved ones.

Tip #4: Take Time for Self-Care

“Doing things that bring you joy is not selfish,” Carroll said. Making self-care a regular part of your daily routine is a great way to begin balancing motherhood and work. For example, Carroll rollerblades by the beach to practice self-care. Your form of self-care should be specific to you and help you to unwind after a busy week. Self-care activities can include taking a nap, reading a book, listening to a podcast, or exercising. Take time each week to do something that brings you joy! “Find something you really enjoy that just makes you happy and do it without guilt,” Carroll said.

Tip #5: Outsource Tasks or Hire Help

While outsourcing tasks may not be feasible for some working women, getting a few of your responsibilities off your plate may help achieve a work-life balance. Carroll suggested hiring a cleaning service or asking a friend or family member to help you by picking your kids up from school as two ways to outsource daily tasks that may add to your overall stress. The return on investment in the amount of time and energy you save may be worth it.

Tip #6: Make your Office Space a Happy Place

Since you spend a significant amount of time working each week, ensuring that your workspace is an area you feel relaxed and productive is important! Here are some simple and effective ways you can make your office space a happy place:

• Reduce clutter by cleaning up your desk, bookshelves, or cabinets so that items are easy to find when you need them. This helps make your office more functional and easier to use.
• Light a candle or turn on an oil diffuser.
• Play music that helps you “get in the zone” and be productive.
• Decorate your space with family photos, encouraging words, and other decor that you like.

Tip #7: Learn to Set Boundaries

Referring back to your personal mission statement, be sure to define your daily priorities and know what your personal and professional limits are. This may be setting boundaries with your spouse or children or limiting the amount of work you are realistically able to complete at one time. “Our time and energy are precious,” Carroll said. “It’s OK to say no without feeling guilty.” When balancing motherhood and work, it’s essential to say no to extra responsibilities that are unnecessary or do not fall under your list of priorities. Keep in mind what your personal needs are and make sure they are also being fulfilled.

Tip #8: Take Time to Unplug

In a largely digital world, giving yourself a break from looking at a screen may be difficult, but it may also be necessary as you master your work-life balance. “A digital detox is good for your mind and body to recharge,” Carroll said. Carroll suggested that female professionals schedule weekly breaks to go offline and relax without having access to a phone, internet, or television. Disconnecting from the outside world may be what you need to let yourself relax fully!

Tip #9: Lean into your Support System

Turning to your friends and family members for help and encouragement is an effective way to recharge and relax after long hours at work. Scheduling regular dates with loved ones gives working women an outlet to share their frustrations and commiserate about the daily struggle of maintaining a balance between their home and their career. Social groups and events are another great way to stay social after work hours and destress from long days. Online webinars, learning sessions, and coaching can also provide advice and support for female professionals

Tip #10: Implement the Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction states that the energy an individual puts out in the world is the energy they will receive in return. Carroll recommended that working women put this philosophy into practice by actively working to think positively and manifest the goals they wish to achieve. In doing this, it may be helpful to practice mentally manifesting your ideal outcomes or journaling what you hope to feel or see in the future. An important factor in doing this is to take action and practice gratitude for your life, however busy it may be.