Work-Life Balance

1) At the beginning of the video, a role model told us that “it’s very important to have a balance of your life, both sides, your career life and a private life.” Why do you think it’s important to balance both parts of your life, professional and private? What might happen if you don’t have a good work life balance?

2) Although the focus of this video is work life balance, “work” doesn’t only mean going into an office to sit at a desk. What different kinds of “work” are there? Is going to school and doing your best “work”? Why or why not?

3) One role model said, “It’s really [all about] making the most of the moment that I am in.” What do you think it means to “make the most of the moment you are in”? How can you always try to do this in your life?

4) At different points in your life, you may find yourself with varying priorities. Sometimes you may feel that your number one priority is something in your private life and other times it may be something in your professional life. Why do you think priorities change over time? What is a time where you might feel that your professional life (work or school) is most important? What is a time where you might feel that your private life is most important? Why?

5) Listeners learned that choosing the right partners is vital to achieving a healthy work life balance. You must have people that will support you and recognize your ability and ambition. Why do you think it’s so important to choose the right partners in life? What might happen if you choose the wrong partners? Who do you already have in your life that supports you and recognizes your ability and ambition?

6) A role model told us that an important step to achieving a healthy work life balance is to “try to understand what it is that you want, and then ask for it.” Fill in the blanks below to list the things that you know you want time for in your life. The first one has been filled in for you.

• In my life, I want time to work on my favorite hobbies!
• In my life, I want ______________________________!
• In my life, I want ______________________________!
• In my life, I want ______________________________!

It’s very important to have a balance of your life, both sides. Your career life and a private life both are yours.

Let’s face it. I mean, you can’t be two places at one time, but you can still achieve whatever you want to achieve.

Balance ebbs and flows. Sometimes you get more of it. Sometimes you get less. And that there’s times where home is a priority, and I have to direct my attention there. And there’s times that work is a priority, and I have to direct my attention here. And so for me, it’s not something that’s evenly distributed that we strive for. It’s, again, managing the ebb and the flow.

What I try to do, first and foremost, I want to be a good mother because I believe that all my patients can get another doctor, but my children can’t get another mother. I’m it. So as I look at my schedule of what I have to do and what’s what and give my children’s schedules of reading to the kids or going on a field trip, I try to figure out, “Okay, I can make this, but I might not be able to make that.” And so I try to make what I can, schedule off when I can, and when I’m with my children, I am there 100%.

I think about it as work-life optimization. It’s really making the most out of the moment that I’m in, but I’m not perfect at it. And I find myself sometimes drifting towards one or the other. But I do think that being a working parent and having such a vibrant life, both inside and outside of the office, gives me better perspective.
You have to have the right partner. And that’s the right partner at home and the right partners in business, the right partners in life to do that. Find people that will support you, that recognize your ability, and that know your ambition, and that aren’t insecure about that. And then you can do it all.

You just have to learn how to make it work. Try to understand what it is that you want and then ask for it. So when I came out looking for a job, I wanted to work part-time. I wanted a day off to spend with my kids. And I asked for it, and I kept asking for it. And eventually, they did it. And they offered me exactly the job I wanted. And I did that job for 15 years and loved it. If you want something, figure out how to make it work. And in my case, it was taking a little less money early on. I ended up earning as much or more than many of my colleagues in the long run.

I’ve learned, actually, that is a personal balance. So there’s no perfect balance. When we need to be home and spend time with the children, I do. When it’s time to have a date night with my husband, I do that every other week. When it’s time to hang out with my girls, my friends, I do that every other week as well. And when I need to work, I work. And I also need my quiet time where I don’t want to talk to anybody. Phone off, watch TV that doesn’t make any sense at all, and just be. And that for me is the balance in life, having a little bit of everything that I want.

Work-Life Balance Independent Learning Guide:This all-purpose guide can also be used by educators, parents, and mentors to jumpstart a valuable discussion about the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance.

Work-Life Balance Classroom Lesson Plan: This step-by-step lesson plan is available to guide a more in-depth “before, during, and after” learning experience when viewing the video with students. This lesson plan is also suitable for use in after-school programs and other educational settings.

Use Empowerment Activities as a fun way to reinforce the video topic and build community with your students.

• Personalized Planner

Fun Page Activity: What are the important parts of your life? From school to hobbies to family time, everyone has different priorities! Use this activity to think about the important parts of your life and set your priorities.