I hear so much about women “having it all.” Yet, I believe that this sets an unrealistic burden on females today.
As a working mom with a hugely successful business and two wonderful children, I feel confident saying you simply cannot do everything. You have to be willing to give some things up to be successful. I’m not superwomen. I can do a lot, but I can’t do it all.
1. Establish Your Priorities
The best way to find balance is to set priorities. For me, those priorities were always my kids and my company, OPI. Almost everything else — self-care, a social life, sleep — was left on the back burner. Facials and friendships were not nearly as important to me — spending time with my family became my way to relax, and I made deeply cherished friends through my work.
2. Find Support in Others
I also think it’s impossible to do alone. Whether you rely on a partner, a family member, or a friend — having a support system is so important. Even with my set priorities, I often had to choose between work and family. Knowing my kids were safe and happy with a warm and loving family made things easier when I had to prioritize work. On the flip side, when the time came for family vacations, I was able to leave work behind because I had other people in place who shared my work ethic.
A support system is more than just an encouraging word or someone to call in an emergency — a support system allows you to focus on family when you’re with family and work when you’re at work. To me, this setup is crucial if you want to have any sort of balance.
3. Stay Organized
Beyond this, you’ve got to be organized and effectively practice time management. If you don’t plan your day, your schedule will control you — rather than the other way around. And when you’ve surrounded yourself with people who share your business vision, as I always did, you’ll be able to easily delegate tasks to people who can translate your vision into reality without you needing to personally handle every step along the way.
The demands of business can be tremendous, but remember why you’re doing all of this. Give your family your time and your love and your guidance. They are your anchor in this crazy, wonderful world, and you are theirs.
Originally published on Quora.