WHAT IS YOUR RIGHT BALANCE?

I remember many years ago back in college reading a book called "The Second Shift". This book talked about how your 1st shift is generally your regular job; and your second shift is the job you have when you get home from your job -- kids, dinner, homework, baths, house cleaning, mail, paying bills, and so on...

Talk about a long day! Doing this 5 days a week can be exhausting. Additionally, in my role as a divisional HR director, I travel frequently, so that certainly adds a whole other dynamic to my already hectic schedule. So how do you ensure that there is a healthy balance between your home life and your work life? We'll for me, its about making adjustments along the way.

Instead of working so hard to get everything done, I work hard at doing things smarter. For some reason I felt that " I " had to do everything. But now I realize its ok to have help. So I delegate more now; I take more control of my schedule at work which includes working from home a day or two per week. I also try not too fit so much in at once (i.e., working full-time while in grad school and pregnant all at the same time). But most importantly, I've learned to relax and enjoy life.

When I had my last 2 childern, I used the Hypnobirthing method and it was amazing. In addition to studying the hypnobirthing technique, I would spend many hours during my pregancy listening to CD's of the rainforest, the sounds of ocean waves and thunderstorms to relax; and I have continued many of those techniques (and the CD's) well beyond the pregnancy. Being relaxed makes it so much easier to get what needs to be done, completed.

So finding that right balance will vary by person, but by rethinking some of your sytems now, you may find a quicker, easier way to accomplish the same goal. Just be utilizing all of your help and resources, relaxing and enjoying life every day.