10 Survival Tips for Working Women:
Being a Jewish woman and a working woman is an overwhelming combination. The number of responsibilities you handle and tasks on your to-do list are beyond exhausting. Hopefully, these tips will help make your crazy-busy life a little less crazy.
1. Have good friends: Talking and sharing ideas with working women like yourself will give you the motivation and empathy you need to keep going.
2. Cleaning help: You want to focus on your family when you get home from work;, not your dishes. Hire someone to do the housework so you can spend quality time with the ones you love.
3.Don’t forget your husband: No one will say it’s easy, but making sure that your marriage has a strong bond is crucial. You might not be able to spend as much time with him as you’d like so keeping him top of mind and staying in touch with calls and texts throughout the day can better connect the two of you.
4. Don't settle for anything less than stellar childcare: When your kids are happy, you'll be happy. Plus, nothing ruins a working mom's day than having to worry if her kids are being properly cared for. Find the best childcare you can afford and give yourself the peace of mind.
5. Exercise: So many successful working moms cite exercise as their secret. Exercise gives you energy, reduces stress and gives you that feeling of competence and invincibility. And what woman doesn’t want that?
6. Own your lifestyle: Accept that you'll never be the most active mom in the PTA and that you might not make it to the c-suite either if you want to be home for dinner every night. Those are some of the limitations your lifestyle has set for you and accepting them will go a long way for your emotional health.
7. Don't set unfair standards for yourself: You don't need to serve five side dishes and two mains for Shabbos for it to be special. Lower your self-imposed requirements for the cleanliness of your home, quantity of food you serve and activities you take part in. Don’t beat yourself up about not being perfect.
8. Love your job: It's hard enough having the responsibilities of a Jewish woman in addition to your job, but if your career challenges and motivates you, you'll be able to meet your obligations more happily.
9. Don’t you dare compare: Comparing yourself to other women will only make you miserable. Those women have different husbands, kids, jobs, bosses, energy levels and genes. Why should you have to do what they do when you’re doing what you can do?
10. Stick to your convictions: People will always talk but you have to firmly believe that what you're doing is right for you and your family. If you are confident that you are doing your best, then you don’t have to apologize to others.
Tova Herskovitz, MSW leads the Women In The Workforce division of Parnassah Network (a nonprofit that helps individuals in the Jewish community with their parnassah needs). Women In The Workforce supports professional Orthodox Jewish women by providing ongoing training and networking opportunities. Learn more about Women In The Workforce here.