Tips for Balancing Work and Family

We're a big fan of the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal, and today's post was no exception. In Seven Tips for Balancing Work and Family, Prerna Sodhi provides some concrete tips for making it all work.

Some of my favorites are:

• Get Organized: This is huge, because if you're at the office late managing a missed deadline or late to work because you left your laptop at home, there's no hope for balance. I'm a big fan of weekly scheduling meetings (both work and home), Google Calendar, smart phones and never leaving home without a handy dandy notebook.
• Negotiate With Your Employer: We do this every day on behalf of our candidates, but every employee's flexibility needs are different, and they change substantially over time. Keep your employer's needs in mind, see what you can work with, offer a 30 day trial period, and give it a go.

and finally, what I struggle with every single day:

• Leave Work at Work. My business partner called it an "occupational hazard,"that for the first time in my life I love every part of my job, and just want to be doing it all the time! I am emotionally invested in our clients and candidates and the amazing flexibility I've created also makes for very fuzzy boundaries. At the park with my boys, I need to leave my iphone in the car. During the dinner/homework/bathtime hours, I need to resist the temptation to answer email. I've made compartmentalization and being "present," both at home and the office, a huge priority for 2011.