In a recent Harvard Business Review article What to do when personal and professional commitments compete for your time Elizabeth Grace Saunders shares:

“You’re double booked. It’s not just one meeting scheduled over another. It’s something for your family at odds with a work commitment. These situations can trigger guilt and stress. Guilt because you feel like you’re letting others down — no matter what you decide, you will lose. And stress because you can’t literally be in two places at once.”

Here are the first three recommendations:

• Values. To feel successful, you need to live according to your values. Ask yourself: What are my values in terms of the type of spouse, parent, and employee I want to be? What choices will I be happy that I made five years from now?
• Family culture. Every family has a different flavor in terms of what matters to them. Ask yourself: What kind of family culture do I want to create? Do I value eating meals together, going to kids’ activities, or spending quality time with my spouse? What decisions would be aligned with that culture?
• Individual preferences. To some children, having you show up at certain events may be a big deal whereas to others, it’s not. Ask them when it’s most important to them that you show up. 

For the rest, read on here.

Colin