How to Find a Work-Life Balance in a 24/7 Industry with a 24/7 Family
By Erin Larmann Reynaud
When I first started my career as a rookie account executive almost 20 years ago, the concept of a work-life balance was not really part of my vocabulary. Expectations often included late nights, weekend pitch work and Saturday community events. My life was my work, and the lines between work and life became blurred.
Over the years, as my career evolved and I started a family, the importance of a work-life balance became very apparent, very quickly. As a mom in the marketing industry, you are essentially managing two full time jobs. During the day you manage your clients and from 5:30 p.m., then you manage three or four humans for which you are fully responsible. It can be scary and overwhelming. At some point, you fall upon a balance (or non-balance for that matter) that didn’t come from reading mom blogs or following Instagram influencers but instead came from the same business instinct and personal resilience that you tap into everyday of your work life.
I have learned to delegate. The truth is you can’t do it all. Believe me, I have tried, and it never ends well. I have learned to lean heavily on the other moms in my network. I’m not afraid or ashamed to ask for help. I will call a mom in my neighborhood to grab the kids from school if I am in a bind. I ask if my daughter can catch a ride home from soccer. I send texts at 9 p.m. at night looking for a cat costume. At Gambel Communications, we have a Monday morning staff meeting where each staff member reviews their week with the team. This provides a great opportunity to lean on other teammates that may be available to assist with a project. As a working mom, it takes a village and the moms, dads and co-workers around you are your greatest allies.
I compartmentalize. When I am at work for 8.5 hours a day, I focus on work. When I am home, I focus on my family. If I have something for work that pops up in the evening before everyone goes to bed, I wait to respond until my children are asleep. During the pandemic, I tried to work while I was cooking dinner, or my children were screaming at me and rolling around on the floor. The result is the same every time. Neither work nor my children get my best. I have a co-worker at Gambel that credits her success to schedule blocking. She uses this time management method to divide her day into blocks of time instead of keeping an open-ended to-do list.
I make hard choices. There are only so many hours in the day and I can’t be everywhere for everyone. I have to make choices where I put my energy. I can’t make 3 dozen cookies for teacher appreciation day, but I can certainly Venmo another mom $15 to contribute to the cookies. I have also learned that in 20 years my children will be ok if their aunt had to attend their kindergarten French play instead of mom.
I (try to) focus on the tasks that provide the biggest impact, and let the rest go. It’s the old 80/20 rule. I don’t have time to spin my wheels on personal or work projects that simply don’t move the needle. I often must remind myself to go back to this more productive mindset when I am spread too thin. By Tuesday evening, I feel like its Friday. I am often over tired and overwhelmed, which leads me to lose focus and requires me to hit the reset button. I revisit my weekly to do list on Wednesday and rethink what tasks absolutely must get done. Our CEO at Gambel has an open-door policy. I often check in with Amy to get some outside perspective. She always brings me back to the same question, “Is this the highest and best use of your time?”
A few years ago, during a particularly challenging time in my life, I called my dad crying. Overwhelmed with work and adulthood, I asked him, “How am I going to manage all of this?” His answer was so simple. He said, “Just do your best, kid. That’s all you can do.” It’s the absolute truth. As a working mom our best is truly all that we can offer. It means making tough decisions, letting go of apologies and embracing the chaos. I’m not sure if one can ever truly find work life balance but every once in a while, when you make the Christmas concert, crush the presentation and have dinner ready before 8pm you feel that balance and there is truly is nothing better.