Work and life in your executive position

How to get a good work life balance (F)
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Does the work-life balance seem like a myth to you?

Are you the Executive director of an international company or are you one of the growing crowd of mumpreneurs?

A recent rumour has been suggesting that women can’t have it all, but we think this is wrong. Especially when you consider that the current CEO of YouTube has five children, the youngest being under 3. Furthermore, she makes it a rule to be home every night for dinner!

So, what is the secret?

If you are currently questioning your high-ranking position and worried about the effect it may have on your personal life, stop! Take a look at the following article for inspiration. Accept that you are not superwoman and that you cannot be everything to everyone at all times. Face the challenges head on, change the things you can, but don’t worry if you don’t always get it spot on.

As women, we often fail to give ourselves the credit we deserve. Your current position is no accident, it is a recognition of your ability and your personal drive. You are passionate about what you do and that passion motivates the team around you. However, there is a fine line, give too much and you could find yourself suffering a burnout.

The rise of the tablet and the smartphone means that it is easy to slip into a habit of being on call 24 hours. To continually function at a high level, downtime is a necessity. And downtime does not equate to simply leaving the office, it needs you to fully disconnect. You need to be both physically and mentally available to your family or friends, which brings us on to the next point. The team that set up Mai Tai Balance™ say that work emails should not be connected to your phone or smart devices, to avoid dropping in and out of work during your downtime.

Even though the time you spend at work compared to outside of work are not the same, your work life and home life both deserve the same amount of attention. As a high flyer your organizational skills in the office will be truly honed, but do you apply the same skills to managing your home life? We know that you would never miss an important presentation meeting, so why would you miss your child’s piano recital. It is up there with the most important of meetings and it is not negotiable.

We have already pointed out the perils of the smartphone, but it is not all bad news. Technology has granted us the freedom to work out of multiple offices, we don’t physically need to show up to be at work. Take advantage of the benefits and choose to work from home during school holidays or perhaps when you want to attend the earlier boutique gym class slot.

Of course, let’s not pretend that the pressures of an executive position are only felt by women with a family, as this is just not the case. Indeed, the pressures of a high-powered job are often instrumental in women struggling to enjoy long term relationships or to expanding social and professional network. Just as you diarize time for meetings, set aside time for socialising or simply spending time with your family on a regular basis. And stick to the date.

Indeed, time is such a precious commodity that there are companies dedicated to helping executive personnel to maximize their off-duty hours. At Mai Tai, we are dedicated to making socialising easier for like-minded professionals. The concept is quickly gathering traction and members are signing up to enjoy the benefits of sharing experiences and ideas in a relaxed environment which broadens your professional circles.

Networking was once an on-trend buzz word, but now it is a term necessary for doing any kind of business. So, what about networking outside of work, are you good at it?

Invest in yourself! In the busy day to day you will be expecting to get a lot out of your body, so think about what you are putting in. Nutrition is key to powering your day. You should also ensure you invest in good sleep habits, leave the mobile phones and devices out of the space. Find good balance both spiritually and emotionally, through Yoga or Pilates.

Remember that you cannot be all things to all people, it is just not possible. It is likely that you have built a strong team around you in the workplace which enables you to delegate, so make sure you continue the same approach at home.

Overall, the key to a good work-life balance is planning and preparation. To enjoy success in the work environment or in your social life, you need to priorities what is important. It is imperative that you add value in whatever you are doing.

About the author

This article was written by Shar Fuller, Founder of Mai Tai.

MaiTai

Mai Tai is bespoke recommendation platform featuring hand-picked events such as professional development courses, gourmet cooking masterclasses and literary clubs for driven professionals based in London.

Shar wanted to create an easy way for busy professionals to upgrade their city lifestyles and access a better work-life balance at their fingertips.

The vision is to create an offline community of like-minded professionals who value their experiences outside of work and care about being more motivated and productive in what they do. Regular Social events and exclusive networking events will facilitate members in expanding social and professional circles.

You can find more information about the Mai Tai Balance membership here www.maitaigroup.com

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