From the author: How to find a balance between family and work Good afternoon. My name is Svetlana KRAVCHENKO. I work with the search for a calling or business to my liking, as well as issues of balance in a woman’s life. And here one important question comes up. When you have managed to understand yourself, find that very “thing you like”, determine what you would like to do, the question arises of how to distribute energy and time, because the acquired calling requires time and effort. What about family? Indeed, successfully combining work and personal life is not an easy task these days. We are torn between home and work, we want to be able to do everything and everything. To be a good mother and a fulfilled woman. All existing concepts that explain the balance between work and personal life can be divided into two groups: The first theoretical model should be recognized as a deficit model, according to which a peak of activity in one area leads to a shortage of resources in another area. That is, if you choose career growth, a gap will inevitably form in your personal sphere. The second theoretical model that examines work-life balance is called the expansive model. In this model, success in one area is considered as a condition for the development of the second area. That is, it is assumed that the higher a person's level of satisfaction with his personal life, the higher his level of job satisfaction. And vice versa. That is, success in one area spreads, expands (expansion occurs) into the second area. Five models of relationships between work and personal life can be distinguished: The segmentation model assumes that the work and personal spheres of life are independent and do not influence each other. Of course, this is ideal, but difficult to implement; The spillover model is the opposite model, which asserts the influence of one area on another. At the same time, the influence can be both positive and negative. The compensatory model represents the relationship between work and personal life in such a way that if the requirements of one area are not met and the person is not satisfied enough with it, a person can get what he needs in another area. The instrumental model assumes that one area contributes success in another area. The conflict model entails the inevitability of conflicts and difficult decisions with a high level of demands in all areas of life. I would like to mention the formation of such a lifestyle as “workaholism”. Often a workaholic has serious problems in the family. And here it is not clear what comes first. Problems due to the absence of a person at home or the absence of a person at home due to problems. During family crises, partners (or one of them) often throw themselves into work. When a person consciously or unconsciously seeks to avoid pauses and inaction in work, which are so necessary for awareness and processing of disturbing experiences, he plunges himself into a state of “partial sensory and semantic deprivation.” Such withdrawal to work acts as a compensatory mechanism that allows one not to solve family or personal problems. The spheres of a person’s life in which he is active can be presented in the form of a certain hierarchy. Thus, the family represents the primary social group, while the professional community forms the secondary social group. In this regard, several development vectors can be identified. Firstly, the family can provide a person with the basis for further self-realization in professional activities. Secondly, dissatisfaction in family life can serve as an incentive for more active development of the professional sphere. Thirdly, failure at work can lead to an intention to give up a career in favor of realizing oneself at home in order to try to maintain a positive “self-image”. It seems that the balance in personal life and work can only be determined by individually characterizing the life of a particular person, since such a balance does not mean equal time spent on these two areas of life. If a person does what he loves and professional growth is for himmeaning of life, then the predominance of work in his life compared to the sphere of “personal life” will not be perceived as something conflicting. This ratio of activities will be “balanced” in accordance with its dominant current values. In contrast, a person who is not at all interested in career growth and professional fulfillment will experience stress from work even if a balance of working time and rest is maintained. Research into work-life balance has shown some challenges. Thus, most researchers try to determine the level of balance of these spheres depending on the amount of time that a person literally spends on one and the second sphere of life. However, this approach is not able to take into account individual characteristics. Accordingly, it is more important to determine not how much time is devoted to one or another area of ​​life activity, but what personal meaning a person gives to the ratio of his activity in these areas, to what extent he is satisfied with the distribution of his time between work and personal life. In addition, problems When studying work-life balance, researchers attempt to completely contrast these areas. Personal life is seen as opposed to work; it is everything that is not related to work activity. However, in life, things are usually not so simple. When analyzing the work-life balance of a particular person, three factors must be taken into account: Values. What is most important for a given person at a given period of his life - personal or professional development, family self-realization or career. Satisfaction with the current relationship between work and personal life. How a person himself emotionally evaluates the current distribution of his activity and resources. A person’s ideas about the ideal balance between work and personal life, which consist of personal preferences, as well as social ideas about the ideal relationship between these areas of life. Thus, the definition of balance between work and personal life as a specific category is not possible. It's too individual. The presence of this balance can only be determined in relation to each specific person, knowing his personal preferences, values, his ideals and satisfaction with the current state of affairs. Subjectively, work-life balance may include more objective indicators, for example, not only “satisfaction”, but also “functioning well at work and at home with minimal role conflict.” One of the most developed models of balance is the three-component theory, which includes: - balance of time spent on work and family life, - balance of psychological involvement in each of the roles; - and balance of satisfaction from work and family life. The problem of work-life balance is closely related to the issue of boundaries between a person’s work and personal life. So, it seems, this border is becoming more and more blurred - both in space and in time. On the one hand, this provides new opportunities to earn more and regulate your work schedule, but as a result, the tension between work and personal life remains or even increases. Some employees prefer to work from home, for others, on the contrary, the spatial confines of the office are important. According to some studies, a virtual office can have a negative impact on family relationships and is also a factor provoking workaholism. The time frame of work is no less important. 40-48 working hours per week is the optimal maximum working time; Anyone who works longer hours is at risk of experiencing work-life imbalance. What signs indicate an imbalance? - excessive irritability. If a person is irritated by a lot or almost everything, he is clearly in a stressful state, is too tired, the balance between work and rest is disrupted; - problems withhealth. Exacerbation of chronic diseases or too frequent exposure to viral infections also indicates an imbalance; - lack of desire to play sports or devote time to hobbies. When a person does not have the strength to even do his favorite activities, there is clearly an imbalance in his life; - a violation of harmony in the distribution of time for work and personal life is also evidenced by obsessive thoughts about work even on weekends, the inability to completely relax and rest on weekends or on vacation, lack of new ideas for creativity, problems in personal life. How to maintain a balance between work and personal life. In order to find balance between work and personal life, you must first determine your values. A person himself needs to understand what is more important to him at a given moment in time. The areas in which one’s specific set of values ​​should be determined are different. This includes health, family, professional and career growth, active recreation and entertainment, material well-being, spiritual and personal development. Balance is considered ideal when you spend as much time on each of our values ​​as you need to feel happy. For example, if work comes first for you, and you devote more time to it, but you are happy with this distribution of time, your balance is not disturbed. It is impossible to learn how to accurately and evenly divide your time between work and personal life. But you need to be able to soberly assess your strengths and priorities and determine what is in the foreground for you now - work or family. This way, everyone can completely eliminate the possibility of influence from others, and make their own informed decision about the balance of work and personal life. Responsibility for deciding what to give priority should also lie entirely with you. If there is a need to focus on work during this particular period of life, then you need to be aware that this is your decision. Do not blame anyone and calmly go towards your goal. In addition, reasonableness is necessary when setting goals. For example, you want to achieve new career success as quickly as possible, while paying a lot of attention to your personal life. You always need to remain realistic and understand that in such a situation you will have to sacrifice something. When I talk about a new project, I compare it to the birth of a child. Opening a business is a kind of “birth” of it. When we are in the “birth” stage of a project, the family temporarily fades into the background. It is ideal if family members understand and support you. If you are in the stage of giving birth to a child, business projects and work need to be temporarily put on the back burner. It is extremely difficult to effectively combine these 2 roles (I won’t say impossible. Anything can happen). Should I work on maternity leave https://www.b17.ru/article/132648/ There was a publication on this topic here, I will not repeat it. When a woman has small children, the issues of “work” - “children” balance become especially relevant. Sometimes you have to make a choice in favor of one thing. (Frankly speaking, I believe that I can currently combine everything, but sometimes it is a job that is not compatible with motherhood due to its nature and schedule). Whatever you choose, it is important that it is an informed decision. I remember, I was 17, I lived with my parents. We had a neighbor downstairs with a five-year-old daughter. I remember how my mother said, “Ira is lucky. When she gave birth, her husband told her that she could calmly take care of her daughter and not think about work. Oh, well done Sasha." I then thought where I would want to run away from such a fellow. Sitting on the playground for five years... But Ira seemed even happy. Yes! Now I understand that fulfillment in motherhood is still possible! But not for me. Even though I am a mother of many children. So, if you currently prefer motherhood to a career, accept it and don’t look at those who reach career heights at work. You achieve great success in the family. If you choose to “be a mother,” then the child should not be considered an obstacle,