Hello Reader,
Over the last couple of years, I have really learned to listen, learn, share responsibilities and to come up with creative solutions.
I now proudly consider myself an excellent change manager – and a home co-CEO & COO!
I feel incredibly lucky to now be part of a family of four and that my partner and I can continue working while raising our children.
To do so was a conscious decision for both of us and holds deep significance.
We both knew that we wanted to continue to work and also have plenty of family time too. But the big question was: How were we going to get there?
We have had (and still have!) many late-night discussions about how to make it work – especially during those sickness-prone winter months… cough, cough.
Who takes time off? How to split responsibilities? And, most importantly, how to equally share the time for work and the fun family moments.
We are fortunate to be in a position, though we have also made it a priority, to share the responsibilities and the fun with our kids in equal measure, rather than letting financial considerations dictate that for us.
With this more personal post I want to raise awareness of:
1) How challenging it can be to navigate the realities of starting a family and raising kids.
2) The constant adjustments needed to make it work.
3) How it takes both partners and a lot of listening, brainstorming and then DOING to share the load equally.
4) The many, many transferrable skills you gain as a parent – skills that should be highly valued, sought after, and seen as an asset by any employer.
You can do it! 🙋♀️💪
Mareike
P.S. Have you and your partner had any discussions like this? I would love to hear how you are navigating (or planning to navigate) these challenges.
Here is my weekly career, life and productivity hack for you, Reader:
Feeling overwhelmed with too many tasks? 🌀
As soon as you start on one, you think of the next one that should be on a list somewhere. At the end of your workday you find yourself collapsing onto your sofa, knowing you‘ve been busy. But have you been productive too?
Do you want to be able to also name things you have FINISHED when you are sitting on your sofa? Things that you completed, so you can move on?
Here is my productivity and focus hack for you:
1️⃣ Grab a stack of post its. Brainstorm all tasks you can think of. Write each task on one post it. Get them all out of your head.
2️⃣ Then rank them based on priority. Remove unimportant ones.
3️⃣ Then stack them into one pile, with the most important and urgent ones on top.
4️⃣ Then start with the top one. Only look at the next one when the top one is done 🙂
5️⃣ Don’t forget to celebrate your progress at the end of the day!
