Balancing Family and Work Life!
BALANCING FAMILY AND WORKLIFE
Not long ago the biggest "fear" of a Nigerian brother would entertain will be to marry a "working class" woman and this was on the premise of their physical absence from the home front.
If you are familiar with my very amazing Nigerian brothers, you will know that their families are their biggest Priorities.
(I mean this as a huge compliment to Nigerian men!)
They'll prefer sit-at-home wives, become sole providers just to ensure a well kept home and safe space for them and their kids.
But times changed, economies began to crash, scarce resources had more needs depending on them; and so the harsh economy and reality forced women into the "work force".
Some took it a step further by becoming major financiers of their home.
While the African and Nigerian society feels pain for the stress the woman has to go through, it would be considered a
"sacrilege" for her home front to collapse.
My dear Ladies, "the problem" in the eye of society is not what befell you but how you handled it!
The thing with record breaking is this, once one person surpasses a challenge, it becomes a yardstick to measure other people.
So here we are in a world that has no time for pity and of course evidences of records broken.
There will be no acceptable excuse if we fail in OUR FIRST JOB OF BEING WIVES, regardless of how tough your "extras" are!
In the reality of our today's African society, your career will always belong to the category of "extra", even though a necessary extra!
So my dear Ladies we are left with no choice than to Up our antics! We just have to win at this Job description called "WIFE". Lol
If you are single like me this is a brilliant opportunity to learn the ropes and if you are already married, I am dedicated to sharing this burden with you!
The task of jogging family and work life can be quite exasperating.
The temptation of giving more priority to one over the other has been linked to a lot of dysfunctional outcomes including strained family relationships, feelings of guilt,inefficiency at work, poor physical and mental health.
The truth is, achieving flexibility in this area is quite tricky and solution will vary from person to person.
What I'm about to state are not necessarily hard and fast rules both they could go a long way in reducing your burden of largely " unmet" expectations.
Here we go;
1. First you must let go of guilt.
It's not your fault that your nature is multitasking.
2. Take at least 20mins to relax at the end of each work day, before swinging into house chores. A bath is a good way to start.
3. Limit distractions and time wasters e.g your time on the phone.
4. Set goals and priorities.
5. Plan for the morning the night before. Make breakfast decisions at night; lay out clothes for the morning at night especially for the kids.
6. Spread out, don't be afraid to ask for help. Delegate chores. If you have family members or friends they could be very helpful.
7. Engage the services of a trusted childcare facility, you need to discuss this with your spouse though.
8.I know you love your family, but don't aim for an "over kill", don't burn out trying to meet unrealistic demands for example trying always to organize parties for the kids. Do what you can and leave the rest.
9. Don't bring work home, at least not during periods dedicated to bonding.
10. Find an outlet. Chill out often, with your spouse or girlfriends or by yourself, so you don't burn out. Build breaks into your routines. A barbecued woman is really no good! Lol
We certainly still have a lot on this episode but we will have to take a break at this point for easy digestion.
I am dedicated to your well being, you better believe it.
Love,
Your fragile giant.
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