Have you had those moments when you feel you have to choose between your career and your family? Those moments when you are afraid that you will miss a deadline because expectations were set too high and you couldn’t say no? Have you ever decided to tough it out to get the project done? Have you ever worked throughout the night and into the morning while feeling guilty because your family is at home waiting for you? It is the worst feeling in the world to miss dinner and to miss opportunities to help your kids with homework because you have an endless ‘To Do’ list at work.

In my career I’ve been there, more than I can count on both of my hands. There have been plenty of times I felt as though I let my family down and apologized for missing out on family dinners and family time. Have I learned how to balance my life? Absolutely; I have three elementary school aged kids who need me every morning and every night.

How do I balance my home and work life? Here are few tips I have learned along the way.

• I select a few days during the week to work longer hours. I set those days and commit to them.
• I work very early on Saturday mornings while my children and husband are still sleeping. I am refreshed during this time, so it works for me.
• I find at least one day a week to spend quality time with my family. We will watch a movie, have a dance party, go to church and/or go out for dinner.

Trust me when I say that this is not easy and it took me years to get here. I still have a long way to go to perfect this skill, but I am well on my way and you can be too. The secret to mastering balance in your life is to be ready in your heart and commit to your family that you will stick to your new routine and be there for family time when you say you will be.