Welcome to another question for Ask an Admin. This is where the administrative assistant and executive assistant can submit any question they have and their peers will answer the question based on their previous experience. We believe that there are many different ways to approach problems, difficult tasks, and situations so we thought this would be a great way to provide you a place to share your input as well as receive input from others. So, executive assistants and administrative assistants from around the world, let’s help each other out!
This week Kat A. asks:
How do you balance home life and work life? I find myself overwhelmed at times meeting the needs and requests of my CIO and 4 Directors as the only admin for a busy utility, that oftentimes when I come home to my children and husband I feel like they get the leftovers. Between texts from my kids and my management team, constant emails, and calls, I have no energy left and am very short with my family, because I have had constant demands all day long. I feel like a mother at work and am beginning to resent my role.
Another great question! This is something that not only administrative assistants struggle with, but I think so many people struggle with
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I also struggle with feeling like my “mom” switch never goes off. I am pretty much on all the time – my main executive is an early riser, so I often have emails waiting when I get up at 4:30 Central (an hour behind him) and have a filled, and revised, “to-do” list before I even have a cup of coffee in the morning.
My eight-year-old doesn’t have a phone yet (although the questions have already begun) so I’m not quite to that level of interruption quite yet, but between school, choir, events, homework, my husband, chores, and on and on, sometimes I feel like I’m never really getting any rest, and certainly not finding any balance.
I know Joan has mentioned it before, but I have come to realize I cannot “balance” – my life is more like a juggling act. I have lots of balls in the air, but only one in my hand at a time. I keep an eye on all of them. There are a couple that are always closer that I have to watch more carefully, but my focus is mainly on the one in my hand at any given time.
And good luck. I think we all struggle with this, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who feels like he or she is truly “there”.