The Business of Family: Parents Make the Most of Their Business Management Skills

By Sarah Clark
Career Colleges Columnist

Think your business degree is a death sentence for your family life? Having it all—a satisfying career in business and a family—is proving a tough lifestyle to maintain for many moms and dads. As a working parent, what can you do to lighten your burden? Creative use of your business management skills is a great start!

More parents than ever are fully immersed in the business world, often holding senior management level positions while continuing to care for their children. They get up early, get their kids ready for school or day care, and rush off to work. Late afternoons are even more chaotic—shuttling kids to extra-curricular activities, making dinner, and keeping up with household chores.

You can wear two hats. While it’s never been easy to be a parent, regardless of your employment status, there are some steps you can take to maintain a greater sense of control and stability. Why not apply your professional business management skills to your home life?

Applying Your Business Management Skills

We’ve all heard it before, but it merits repeating. Don’t be afraid to say no to your family. You can’t do everything, no one can, so don’t feel guilty about setting limits. Budget your time as you would your company’s—well—budget.

You can also use your well-honed business management skills to delegate chores to family members. Running a home is a partnership—ask your loved ones for help. Assign routine chores to children, such as making beds, washing breakfast dishes, sorting laundry, and taking out the garbage. Don’t be afraid to ask your spouse for help too. Many working women in particular still assume the lion’s share of housework. If you’re among them, ask your husband if there are some chores he’d be willing to carry out on a regular basis.

Finally, apply the same time management and prioritization skills you use at the office to your home life. List your must-dos in their order of importance; you’ll likely come to realize that many things can be dismissed, leaving you time to attend to the aspects of you and your family’s life that are most important: enjoying time together.

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