Balancing work and family: How to make the most of April

April is a great month. It’s school holidays for some, Easter holidays for others. Joy of joys. Many of us haven’t had a break since January! Now is the perfect time to focus on balancing work and family.

If you are like me and have school age children, then it’s likely that one of the reasons you are flying solo is so you can be with your kids during school holidays. Are you ready?

For my family, April is a great time to bond. We call it just ‘being’. It’s the non-beach holiday. The DVD and Scrabble holiday. The book reading holiday. Bliss.

Sometimes I ‘be’ with my kids by day and work at my desk by night. One week on and one week off also works well. This year I think I’ll take both weeks off. I did last year too. My children won’t be children forever.

For those without school age children, let’s call you the rich ones, April is a great month, too. Easter holidays present a delightful opportunity for a little R and R, and let's not forget that for Christians, it's a major celebration.

April can be more than holidays, of course. Many of us flying solo do work that requires us to be in touch with the world and up to date.

Now is a good time to consider what might have been happening out there while we are sitting at our desks. The business-transforming deal or the big break will absolutely never be delivered by a messenger knocking unannounced on our front doors. April is a great time to get out there.

And April is a great time to enjoy the reduced traffic of school holidays and to get around a little more easily anyway. Make more meetings with people: talk to them, understand them.

Why not tune in by watching people and looking at what they are wearing and carrying? Think about what we can tell about ‘what’s new’ by watching and listening. Listen to the way people talk to each other. What they talk about. What’s the buzz? How can this insight help us in the work we do?

April is a great time to anticipate the change of season and check that last year’s winter ‘work’ wardrobe still fits and has kept pace with how we wish to position ourselves. Maybe it’s time to invest in a new winter suit and very likely a great time to get our winter shoes to the shoe repairers for a makeover (those guys are geniuses).

Whether we’re on holiday or not, April is great weather for brisk walks to let our minds wander. To think about the solutions to our clients’ (or our own) problems, or to regroup and refocus. Motivation doesn’t drive itself.

Karen Morath of M Power consults, trains, speaks and coaches in public relations, personal effectiveness, life balance and all things empowering.

2 comments | Add your own

Great stuff, Karen - kids are the greatest gift, so thanks for school holidays! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I love my kids but I hate the school hols. Not so much the hols but the dates. I am a bookkeeper and the BAS is due EVERY SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!!!
Most bookkeepers are women and work part time becuase this industry allows us to so why doesnt the tax department change the dates of the bas to not clash with school hols. We dont get any timne with our kids because we are madly trying to get our clients BAS;s lodged. Why of Why REnee Allen from Adelaide

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