The Extra Shift for Working Moms and How A Life Coach can Help

Jan. 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Before getting to work, 60% of working moms have been on the go for an average of 3 hours: making lunch, stacking the dishwasher, loading the washing machine, overseeing breakfast and making sure that everyone has whatever they need for the day ahead.   Because they are multi-tasking, most working moms skip breakfast despite providing nutritious food for the rest of their family.  This already puts them on the back foot when they walk in the office door.

Surveys of working mothers in South Africa, the USA and the UK repeatedly find that working mothers suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety, and frequently report feeling “burnt-out”.  Arlie Hochschilds “The Second Shift” notes that working moms’ responsibilities in the home are highly inflexible, for example: dinner has to be cooked to be served at a specific time, bath-time has to be squeezed in, homework has to be overseen – all before bed-time.  This gives women less control over their own time, as they are dictated by the family’s schedule and needs.

It may sound ridiculous, but working mothers can find more time by investing in time with a Life Coach.  In her partnership with her coach, she will develop the skills to create work-life balance and to get her work done efficiently AND effectively.  Time management is essential, and one of the fundamentals is learning to delegate effectively both at home and in the work-place.  “Working with a Life Coach makes it possible for a working mom to put things in perspective and work out how she can better take care of herself, so that she can better take care of her many responsibilities” says Belinda Davies, National President of COMENSA from 2009 - 2011 and owner of Leadership Solutions.

With the help of a Life Coach, working moms can learn to plan and manage their busy lives and workloads as well as learning to think out-of-the-box and create fun, creative ways of engaging the family in chores.

It’s very important to develop the ability to set and maintain clear boundaries, and learn when and how to draw the line.  Working moms also need to learn when to let go, to take off the Supermom suit and make time for themselves to recharge.  Often, they need “permission” to do so, and a Life Coach can help them create time and space to take a time-out.

When choosing a coach, choose someone who is a member of a professional coaching body like COMENSA - Coaches and Mentors of South Africa - (http://www.comensa.org.za) who is therefore bound by professional practice and a code of ethics. This will give you peace of mind around your coach’s professionalism and credibility, specifically in the South African context. Professionals in all disciplines make a point of becoming members of professional bodies.

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For more information, please contact:
Megan Hudson, National Marketing and PR
COMENSA (Coaches & Mentors of South Africa)
Email: marketing@comensa.org.za

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Coaches and Mentors of South Africa - COMENSA - is the national professional body for Coaching and Mentoring in South Africa. Members include individual and corporate providers, buyers and trainers of coaching and mentoring services