Modern Motherhood and How to Manage Being the Woman Who Does It All

A recurring topic of interest among my girlfriends and me seems to be how we find the time to be the superwomen that we all try our best to be on a daily basis. On the rare occasion that we actually do find the time to sneak away for a girls night out, we all dissolve into the trope of the superhero woman: supermom, superwife, superlawyer, superfriend, superdaughter, supersister. No matter how you slice the cake, we all desire to have the cake and eat it too. By this, I am describing the desire that most modern women have in 2017. We want to be successful in both business and our personal lives and still have some time for ourselves.

The bottom line is that as women today, we have more pressure than ever to do it all and to make everything appear seamless. But how do we bring this desired fantasy to fruition? We wake up pre-dawn to get a workout in before getting the kids ready for school. Then, we jet off to our job where we work on our #careergoals and are still expected to have dinner on the table at a reasonable hour-- all with a smile and perfectly-coiffed hair. But if were being honest, it can be really hard being the working woman who can do it all.

I frequently speak with women who are stressed out and having a hard time coping with all of their responsibilities. After managing some really difficult years of being the CEO of a matrimonial law firm, a mom, and an attentive wife, Ive learned some tricks to help ease the burden of supermom syndrome. Here are some ways to be the working woman who can manage it all.

First of All, Ditch the Guilt

Its really easy to feel guilty if youre not always there for your children at all waking hours. However, the reality is, you need to focus on your career to further yourself, and ultimately their future. There will always be other moms who seem to make it to every soccer game, school concert, and parent-teacher conference, but for many of us, we need to switch off with our partners to make it to all of these events. Make sure to carve out special times each week to connect with our children and keep any guilt at bay, but accept that you are doing the best that you can.

Invest in Really Good Childcare

Reach out to friends, family, Facebook or outlets like Care.com to find a nanny or babysitter who can help relieve you of certain tasks that are eating up your day. Having someone else to help out allows you to cross certain tasks off your to-do list, such as picking the kids up from school, preparing their dinner, etc. Having that extra time will give you the freedom to practice some self-care, whether its grabbing dinner with your best friend you havent seen in months or *gasp* having a date night with your husband.

Create a Family Calendar

Every Sunday, take a few minutes to put together a family calendar for the week to keep everyone organized. Include chores that need to be done, sports practices, playdates, and any other material so that the whole family is on the same page. This will help alleviate the stress of conveying necessary information to everyone when you have enough on your plate already.

Make Time For You

Once a week, set aside a few hours to do whatever it is that you want to do. Get your hair done, try out a new pilates class, take a long bath and read a book-- whatever it is that will make you feel recharged and ready to take on your other responsibilities. Dont forget that you are a person outside of being a mom and deserve to do things that further your development and make you happy, too. Self-care is necessary to avoid the meltdown that can occur after being on-the-go for too long.

Being a woman who does it all can be stressful, but it can also be really rewarding; utilizing a few tips to make it all easier will benefit you and your family. Most importantly though, remember that its okay to ask for help if you need it. Theres no shame in being a superwoman who needs a sidekick.