How do you balance work and family?

Be ing a mother of t h re e gives me first hand experience on how difficult it is to balance work and family. I used to feel guilty when I had so much work and little time for my children. I would encounter moments when all my schedules would overlap and happen at the same time — an urgent business meeting, a school event or the need to take my child to the doctor. Working and wanting to spend quality time with my children then was really hard because it was a choice between wanting to earn for their future and wanting to give them quality time.

But this all changed when I began my day with prayers asking Him to lead my day according to His will. I also made the decision to make my family my priority and other matters would follow. At times it still can be challenging but overall I am happy with the balance I have between my family and work.

As we continue our celebration of women’s month this March I interviewed well-known moms to share with us how they manage to balance their time between family and work.

Margie Barretto-Misolas, entrepreneur

I delegate most of my routine responsibilities to my employees because I want to concentrate on more important management decisions and activities that will improve the business. Thus, I am able to free more of my time for friends, family and myself. To manage my time properly, I keep track of urgent matters to attend to during the day and normally open my mail only after I’m done with them. Essentially, proper time management, a motivated mind and cheerful attitude help me make it through a busy day. I make it a point that my family attends Mass on Sundays and has lunch together. Dr. Aivee Aguilar Teo, dermatologist

It’s all about knowing how to spend your time best. It’s not easy to balance work and family, so I’m always cognizant of what to prioritize. Family , work, friends and spiritual life are all important. However, since time’s finite, I make sure I’m on top of everything and organize my schedule accordingly. My husband Z is always there to provide me with support both emotionally and professionally, which is why I am able to juggle being a dermatologist, a daughter to my patients, a dutiful wife to my husband, and a hands-on mother to my three children.

Cherie Mercado, news anchor, Aksyon sa Tanghali, TV 5

Passion to inform that goes hand in hand with the vanity of the newsroom? Or the intrinsic motherly call to nurture that goes hand in hand with no recognition, an insistent demand to change yourself, and everyday menial, seemingly trivial activities with little creatures?

I thought I could have the best of both worlds but after `struggling much with this so-called work-life balance I threw in the white towel and followed a counselor’s advice to choose one as priority and make peace with sacrificing the other. So I scaled back big time at work and instead of pursuing big stories, for this phase in my life, bedtime stories won the round.

Rica Concepcion, entreprenuer

The key is to focus, get organized and schedule your time. If you organize well, there should be no reason why you cannot give time to your family. Danica Sotto Pingris, TV host

If it’s a busy day at work, I make sure I get up early to have breakfast with my kids. I try to bring them to and from school. If the schedule won’t permit it, I make sure that I minimize non-work activities and spend time with my children. For hubby, date night is very important, quality time when at home and also kwentuhan when he gets home from work. It’s really tough to balance work and family time but if you know your priorities there will always be something that you can adjust in your schedule or activities.. I also delegate some things that I need to do like errands. In that way I’m able to have more time with family.

Melba Solidum, wife and mother

Fortunately, my job is my family. I can proudly say that I am a stay-at-mom and housewife, and there’s no job more difficult yet no job more fulfilling either. My days are spent making sure that the needs of my husband and my children are met. From preparing their meals for the day to making sure their clothes are clean and ironed to helping with homework. There’s nothing more that I’d rather do than make sure they’re cared for. There’s nothing simple about my job and there are days where I’m so sure that working in an office would be easier, but I wouldn’t change my “job” for anything in the world.

M iche l le Dinglasan-Toma-cruz, The Cookery Gourmet Catering

As a working woman with a family, I always make sure that I prioritize my husband and two children. I see to it that I spend quality time with them despite my busy work schedule. In general, women are excellent multi-taskers which makes balancing work and family life a little bit easier.

Jeck Maierhofer, TV host

I make it a point to bond with my family every time I have no work instead of going out with friends. I’d rather stay at home then cook, play, swim with them. Most of the time we go out together for grocery, shopping, travel and church. But when it comes to work, I make sure that I focus and always give my 100 percent; after all, being efficient benefits my family, so for me it’s a win-win situation. Both are worth the effort.

RR Enriquez, TV host

I make sure that I still have time to take care of my family. Since we haven’t had a maid for three months now, I am the one preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I have an early call time for work and don’t have enough time to prepare Jayjay’s breakfast he tells me that he’ll just eat out. If I finish my work early and I’m not tired, I still cook dinner for them, but if I don’t have time to cook na I just go to a restaurant and buy them food. We still go out to eat and watch a movie. That’s our

favorite bonding.

Dimples Romana, actress

To keep the balance between my work and family, I have organized separate calendars for work and the things I need to attend to as a homemaker. It also helps that I have a very supportive family who cheers me on at work and at the same time enjoys our family time with me as much as we can. Grocery shopping and chores become our bonding time. This way we get things done faster while having fun.

Mavis Manotok Fuentebella,

entreprenuer

I recently made the decision that instead of managing my time, I manage my energy. It had been a struggle to find my “center”; that point of inner equilibrium. But through the years, I’ve realized that this fulfillment has been found in the combination of my spirituality, in the relationships and friendships that give me strength, and even in sports and fitness. When I allow time for myself and prioritize these, I find that balance. My mind is clear, my heart is happy. I stop rushing through my day, I am present and enjoying the moment. I am a wife and mother before anything else. This is why I have chosen to run a business that allows me the flexibility of time. I have also been blessed with good people who see to it that the business goals are reached. It can get crazy sometimes. But I always remind myself to stop, breathe and recalibrate. And I almost always find my way back.

Grace C. Singson, city administrator, Candon, Ilocos Sur

In our age of smart phones and Internet, I can now better manage work and family down to the barest minutes and seconds of every day; time is no longer wasted in traffic and long trips. It’s a happy, crazy, mixed-up collection of moments set in hours, minutes, seconds for both family concerns and work obligations. Judging by (the fact that) my hubby and I were able to raise six adorable, loving, intelligent and God-fearing children between us, we must be doing something good and right.