Family-work balance is a complex issue that involves financial values, gender roles, career paths, time management, and many other factors. Hidden values influence our choices in ways that we often don’t anticipate and that have far-reaching consequences for our lives.
Preparation, intentionality, and joint decision-making are the keys to creating and maintaining the right family-work balance for you. Many couples experience extremely strong forces pulling them away from the priority that they would like their family to have. If you don’t aggressively plan your balance, these other forces will prevail. Without a clear plan and commitment to maintaining balance, time and energy for family erode and evaporate.
It’s important to make the ‘big decisions’– selecting careers and jobs, timing children, allocating roles and responsibilities, etc. this will provide the opportunity for balance. The real task of balance takes place on a weekly and daily basis, even from hour to hour. Remind yourself frequently that these tactics are critical to maintaining a life based on your true values.
