How to Maintain Work-life Balance as a Corporate Woman

In Africa, being a woman in business is already a herculean task because you have to work twice as hard to earn a spot at the executive table that is often populated by men. Then being a wife and mother is another kettle of fish. Now, combining all of that is a classic example of overload. Therefore, work-life Balance is almost unachievable.

But as complicated and exhausting as this is, most 21st-century women are choosing to have it all – a blissful family, a rewarding career and some solitude to find some time for themselves. And the COVID-19 pandemic may have lifted the burden a little, with many people having to work remotely.

Still, with many schools across the continent now open for physical operations, some mothers who work remotely can’t escape the school runs. They also have to perform wife duties except the lucky ones who have understanding partners that are willing to split the roles. By the way, African men are largely rigid in that area. However, millennials and Gen Z men are changing the narrative. This is another subject of discourse by itself, so let’s leave it alone for now.

Either way you swing this, women have their job cut out for them, albeit unfairly. As they say, resilience is one of the greatest strengths of a woman. Most women have found a way to juggle everything, at no cost to one while others still struggle to strike a balance.

Here are 7 proven tips that have worked out well for many successful women in Africa and eslewhere.

1. Prioritise your goals

If you want to be a successful working woman, it’s important to have your priorities in order — both personal and professional. To figure out your responsibilities at different levels, ask yourself a few questions. What can’t be compromised or is completely non-negotiable? What are those tasks you must marvel at and the ones that can be just good enough? What are the most-important commitments at work and family? Getting clear on these answers will help you prioritize, make adjustments and decide what you are and are not prepared to do…

Read the full piece and more insightful features like this in our latest issue below. Find it on page 78.