By Tamara Letourneau – Assistant Chief Executive Officer, City of Costa Mesa CA
Work/life balance is a topic that women discuss and think about often. It is the subject of discussion at many water coolers, conferences and lunches with our colleagues. Whether you have a family now or you are thinking about starting one, the thought of being a great parent and having a fulfilling career is a concern that many women fret about. It seems so challenging at first when you really think about it. You may be saying to yourself “How could it be possible, given the time commitments necessary to do our local government jobs well”. This topic is written about in many articles, books and pod-casts and it discusses and suggests ways that we (women) can achieve it. We are all looking for the magic formula. It can be daunting to think about how can we manage our careers, raise a child/children and have a successful local government career which involves early morning meetings, late night council and commission meetings and weekend events. The question is: How can we have a happy personal/family life and the local government career we dream of?
As a wife, mother of two elementary school children with a wonderful 27 year plus local government career and currently the Assistant Chief Executive Officer (aka Assistant City Manager) for the City of Costa Mesa, California I have a few things that I have put into practice to help me achieve that work/life balance.
- Choose Your Partner/Support Team Well: I could not do everything I do without my wonderful and supportive husband. We are a great team and we both know what needs to be done and we take care of it operating as a team. Even with a wonderful spouse, having a two career household with children and a job that requires some late nights and early mornings presents some challenges. Technology helps with scheduling issues. In addition, my husband and I have weekly calendar review meetings ensuring that we know what the plan is for the week. Even with all of that we sometimes have to involve other people in our support system to jump in and help with picking up the kids etc. If you are a single parent that support team is critical to make sure that you have backup when you need it! Whether you are choosing a spouse or member of your support team, choose wisely!
- Stay Organized: I know that I am a “Type A” personality and maybe even slightly obsessed with organization, but for me and for our home it helps keep everything running. Even when the schedule for the week seems impossible. During those times, I am always thankful for the household systems that we put in place. For example, we make lunches for the kids on Sunday for the entire week and store them in our second refrigerator. I know this sounds crazy, but peanut butter and jelly has a long shelf life if stored properly. Each lunch is labeled for the week so the kids can grab it and go in the mornings when we are trying to get everyone out the door on time. This is also a huge time saver at night, not having to worry about making the lunches the next day when we are trying to make dinner and provide guidance on homework. The other organizational tip we put in place is our children organize their clothes for the week on Sunday afternoons. This saves the morning clothing drama, especially when you have girls! This has been a huge time saver.
- Plan Ahead: I try to plan ahead at work and at home as much as possible. At work, I am constantly working on my “to do” list and making sure I am staying ahead of the deadlines. Although all of us do that, when you have a family I find that it is even more important. When your child gets sick if you have already completed that presentation it takes some of the pressure off. Waiting until the last minute causes more stress. Sometimes, despite the best plans things still happen at the last minute that require our attention. That is where that supportive spouse and helpful support team that I mentioned above come into play.
- Stay Focused: It is important that whether you are at work or at home that you devote your attention to the place you are at that moment. We all have challenges in life. I work hard to focus on my work when I am at work and vice versa. Of course, things happen where one creeps into the other, but if we focus on working hard to be present in the moment we will feel better when we switch roles from home to work or work to home each day.
- Schedule “Me Time”: We all know that in an effort to give everything we have to our families, employers and friends we usually have nothing left at the end of the day for ourselves. However, the first person we should be taking care of is ourselves. It is so much easier to say than it is to do. We need to give ourselves permission to take whatever time to recharge our batteries. For me, every couple of months I take a Friday off to run errands without my children. I love my kids, but it is pure bliss to have a few hours to get all of those errands done without it costing me more money, having someone tell me that they are hungry when we still have a lot to do or that they have to go to the bathroom while we are between errands. (Never mind the fact that I asked them to go before we left!!). I often say, “Giving a mother an hour at Target alone is such a blessing.” This is just my quiet time to get things done for our family/home and have a little time to reflect and recharge my batteries at the same time, it may even involve that much needed pedicure.
The reality is that there is no perfect formula. We all get up every day and do the very best job for our families and communities that we work for. As long as I give it my best in all of these areas of my life everyday then I have achieved success. The morale of the story is that we can do it! We need to share that with each other more often. Is it easy? No! Is this a perfect plan? No! Can we do it? Yes! These are just a few tips that help me and my family. I hope they help you as well.
