The last few weeks have been pretty busy between work and other commitments. In preparation for an upcoming vacation, I have been working from home most evenings and a little on the weekends. This is definitely not the norm for me, but considering this is one of our busier months at work, I have had to put in extra hours to make sure I am caught up with everything before our trip. As a result of my current work situation, I have been thinking more about what it means to find balance as a working mom. In the midst of all our commitments, it can sometimes be hard to manage everything and I continue to learn new lessons as I seek to achieve balance in my life. Here are some of the things that have been the most important to me:

1. Using a calendar – It seems like our family is always busy; we always have places to be and people to see. In order to keep track of our various commitments we started keeping a family calendar, both electronically and physically. We have established a family Google calendar for keeping track of all events, birthdays, doctor appointments, etc. This calendar helps us to keep track of future commitments. We also have a physical white board calendar hanging in our kitchen that we update each month. This calendar allows us to plan and track our daily activities. I love this calendar because it provides a quick snapshot of all our activities for the month and it’s easily accessible for both me and my husband so we can make changes as they arise.

2. Planning ahead – Whether it’s creating grocery lists, mapping out a “tentative” schedule for the next day, meal prepping, ironing clothes the night before, etc, I have found that taking a few minutes each day to plan ahead has been extremely helpful. I’ll admit I am not the best at doing this all the time, but I have found that when I do these things, life seems to flow a little easier.

3. Being present – If being a mom and working outside of the home as taught me anything, it’s the importance of being present. I’m away from my son majority of the day, so when we are together I want to ensure that we have quality time. Sometimes it hard, but I’m learning the importance of getting rid of the distractions and fully engaging with my son. I see the importance of doing this even more so now that he’s a toddler and really absorbing everything around him. I want to enjoy and cherish the moments we have together while I have them.

4. Asking for help – This is probably one of the hardest things for me. I don’t like asking for help. However, I know that I can’t do everything on my own. It’s been important for me to rely on my husband and others for help, especially when we are really busy. If you have people in your life who are willing to help you, accept their help. In the end, it will make life much easier.

I’m interested in hearing from you, the readers, what are some ways you achieve balance in your life?