More Family Time Please

It could be an Atanasov thing, but growing up, I was exposed to the effects a work relationship had on our family life. Both of my parents were hard working individuals, up until retirement. They spent most of their working career providing for us and making sure all of our necessities were met.

As a result, I have always put an emphasis on finding the fine line or creating a work-life balance. I believe it is a necessity, not just for me, but for everyone looking, to have more family time. Therefore, I strongly believe work flexibility is the key ingredient that can help you spend more time with family. Spending time away from work is important because it minimizes stress and empowers overall well-being.

Like any task in life, it takes practice and patience to become good at what you are doing. Right now, even though I spend 40 hours per week at work, I make sure I spend at least 20 hours per week doing family related activities.

Here is what I started doing few years ago in order to have more family time.

Focus On Doing Less

As strange as it sounds, I want you to know that efficiency is the key here. Work is a never ending process; therefore trying to tackle a never ending to-do list is not an option.

I say this to my team day in and day out. Find two or three high propriety tasks and drive them to completion while ignoring the lower priority tasks. You will get better results because you are focused on few tasks versus an endless to do list. It doesn’t always work, but it works most of the time. I have noticed that they started performing at a higher level without my supervision.

Work Remotely

Being able to work remotely one day a week can save you on your commute, make you more productive, and decrease stress. Another good thing about working remotely is that you get to interact with your family throughout the day. On top of that, I like to attend school events with the kids, visit with family across the country, and volunteer with IEEE.

Being able to work remotely, allows me to do all of the above and it is a true win-win situation on the personal and professional front. Everyone’s situation is different, but none the less you have the option to do what you desire when you work remotely.

This situation may very, and the reason I’m saying this is because when our kids were 2 and 3 years old it was hard from me to keep them away from the office, but over time things got better and they got used to me working from home.

Flexible Work Hours

Having flexibility at work can make a huge difference on your personal and professional life. Flexible work hours gives you the luxury to start a little later so you can take you kids to school or pickup a family member from the airport and make up for it in the evening. Different people have different goals and needs and those goals and needs can be met by having flexible work hours, period.

By doing so, you have time to cater to personal things and focus on things that bring you joy and fulfillment. At the same time, improving your health and stimulating creativity.

I like to send the kids to school in the morning. Therefore I make sure my mornings are reserved for making breakfast and lunch for the little ones before they head out of the door and tackle their day. At the same time, when I get back from work I make time to bathe them, read a book, tell a story or relax before they go to bed.

At the end of the day, I make sure all work related activities are taken care of and all personal activities have been fulfilled.

Accumulate Paid Time Off

I love accumulating PTO hours and you should too. It takes years to accumulate a decent amount of PTO hours, like 320 to be exact, so you better get to work right away.

The beauty of having a decent amount of PTO hours is that I don’t have to ask for permission, rather ask for forgiveness when it comes to vacation time. In turn, I end up spending more leisure time with family, friends, and on my hobbies.

Either way, your way of accumulating PTO may differ from mine and that is fine. The key here is to make sure you figure out what works best for you, accumulate enough PTO and take longer vacations. Especially if your PTO hours get capped at the end of the year and you lose portion of it. That is a big no, no.

Love What You Do And Never Work A Day In Your Life

Final Thoughts

My attitudes on work-life balance will continue to evolve overtime as I look for ways to optimize my family time.

I love my career and I’m passionate about what I do. In order to ensure I remain productive, reenergized, and enthusiastic while I’m in the office, I need time away from the office to reflect on personal things in my life.

Remember, it is nothing but a balancing act when it comes to your personal and professional lifestyle. A balance only you can figure out, based on your circumstances and needs, to effectively manage multiple responsibilities. From my point of view, I make sure I spend enough time with what matters the most to me; family and friends.