We don’t need to tell working moms that balancing it all is both insanely hard and ridiculously important—you’re living it. We understand that the quest for balance is both a monumental challenge and a crucial necessity. We’re not just managing tasks – we’re mastering the art of meaningful multitasking, and it’s no small feat. Here are three work life balance tips and battle-tested strategies we learned the hard way, crafted from the chaos and creativity of our daily lives as moms.
Self Care (Yes, Really).
When people told us to practice self-care, we usually heard it while racing to make a kid’s soccer game, wondering what kind of junk our husbands had fed them on the way. So yeah, an impromptu spa day was not in the cards. Instead, we found our own (realistic) ways to recharge. Victoria? She binge-watched truly terrible TV—think Narcos and Real Housewives of Fill in the Blank City. Beth? She got a weekly blowout, religiously. Nonfiction book in hand, coffee on the side, and 45 minutes of blissful brain-resetting. It wasn’t about indulgence; it was about survival.
Wine Night (or Coffee Hour—We’re Not Judging).
You will always have 7,352 reasons why you cannot possibly go out with your friends. The laundry is overflowing, dishes are breeding in the sink, and your kids are melting down over their homework. Ignore all of that. Get in the car. You don’t even have to drink, and you can leave after an hour. But we guarantee that one hour of laugh-until-you-cry therapy—whether it’s roasting your husbands or dissecting the latest PTA drama—will hit the reset button on your sanity. And if your besties aren’t local, reach out to another mom you’ve been meaning to befriend. Odds are, she’s just as desperate for adult conversation as you are.
Visit Someone Who Misses You.
Whether it’s your mom, dad, aunt, or that sweet old neighbor who always asks about the kids—make the time. Yes, the logistics will be chaotic, but we promise it’s worth it. There’s something about making someone else’s day that weirdly makes you feel like you have a little more control over your own life. Beth still visits her legendary Aunt, who reminds her she can do literally anything. Victoria spends time with her mom and then calls Beth to giggle about her hilarious worldview. These visits? They just make life better.
Celebrate Different Paths.
Now, about working out. We know it’s important. We tried. But in our valiant efforts to squeeze it in, we either had to wake up at ungodly hours or stay up way too late, and somehow, we never got any fitter. Along the way, we learned a valuable lesson: it’s perfectly okay to sidestep conventional wisdom that doesn’t align with your reality. What truly matters is finding what genuinely works for you. Embracing your unique path to work life balance is empowering. So to those of you crushing your workouts and reaping the mental and physical benefits—major respect. We just…weren’t those moms. For the rest of us, finding our own equilibrium in the chaos of working motherhood is a victory in itself.
The Takeaway?
One thing for yourself, by yourself. One thing for yourself, with others. And one thing for someone else. Turns out, work life balance isn’t as complicated as we made it. Hopefully, you learn that faster than we did.
