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Lifestyle

Mom, the manager: How one mother balances home life and work duties


There's no tougher job in the world—or one with a bigger responsibility—than being a mother. And many women handle the responsibility of being moms with being wage earners as well—they're surgeons, teachers, carinderia workers, lawyers, call center agents, journalists, accountants...the list goes on. It's a difficult balancing act, but they do it with a lot of love and little fanfare. One of these multitasking moms shares how she manages being both a mom and an educator and businesswoman. As most working mothers would tell you, achieving balance between your work life and your home life is not that easy. Those who tell you otherwise are either superheroes in disguise or just plain fudging!
Rossana (center) and her kids: "I schedule mall trips with my kids as well as family vacations on my calendar. Don’t look at your calendar as merely your work calendar, but your life calendar; you’ve got to put everything that you want to happen in your life in it."
 
I am a mother of four but I am also the chief operating officer of AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center, where it is our mission to help young individuals fulfill their academic dreams by providing effective tutorial and review sessions. Our organization is now on its 18th year, and we are proud to say that we have helped thousands of young people achieve their dreams. To say that I’ve got my hands full is an understatement. However, I am able to keep all my obligations and responsibilities in check—and squeeze in some time for myself too!—by employing online tools, management concepts, and good old common sense. Making plans I believe that failing to plan is planning to fail. I’m a perpetual planner, and I love mapping out plans to achieve my goals. Whatever goal I set for myself—whether it’s putting up a couple more AHEAD branches before the year ends or decorating our home—I make sure that my goals are smart. By making my goals smart, I am able to plan for success. Next, I plan my moves strategically. I craft a vision, take on a mission, and then zero in on my objectives. Afterwards, I work on my plan of attack, taking into consideration the time, resources, and activities that I’d need. All this planning may seem time-consuming, but I beg to disagree. If you have clear goals and concise plans, you will waste no time second-guessing yourself about what you need to do next. Of course, you can always change your plans. But you’ll only be able to do that if you had one in the first place. Managing time
Make sure your stuff is in order, says Rossana. "Time is money, and the more time you waste looking for misplaced things, the more time you waste not working towards the fulfillment of your goals."
Time management is an art which I have tried to perfect since I was a college student. I was an active member of ten organizations then, and that’s when I started learning about time management.I’ve had a lot of practice since then, and have gotten better through the years. Indeed, I still study time management until now! Make no mistake about it: It is only by taking control of time that we can create time for the things that are important to us: family, friends, health, hobbies, and work. How do I do this? First, I make sure that my files, my desk, my closet, my pantry, and my home are all in order—all the time. Time is money, and the more time you waste looking for misplaced things, the more time you waste not working towards the fulfillment of your goals. I even color-code my outfits so that I don’t have to waste time deciding what color to wear at any given day. Second, I make lists, lots of them. I love making lists because they exercise my mind about what’s important and what’s not; what’s urgent and what’s not. When I am finished with my to-do list for the day, I start on my to-do for the next day! Third, I work on my calendar—and follow it faithfully. I schedule menial tasks when my mind is least productive; I pencil in recurring activities like trips to my dentist or nail salon weeks in advance. I keep meetings less than an hour long, preparing an agenda in advance to make sure everybody stays on point during the conversation. And yes, I schedule mall trips with my kids as well as family vacations on my calendar. Don’t look at your calendar as merely your work calendar, but your life calendar; you’ve got to put everything that you want to happen in your life in it. Fourth, I take advantage of technology. I love Gmail, for example, because it’s accessible anywhere and it has an intelligent filing system and organized database. I make my email work for me—answering messages immediately, saving important correspondences, and forwarding queries to the right person. I also love sharing files in Google Drive because my staff and I get to work on a particular project almost instantaneously. Feedback is immediate; no meetings required! I also have a staff of amazing people, both at work and at home, who help me achieve my goals. By delegating tasks to these dependable, we are able to move forward as planned. Lastly, I pray to God every day and ask for His help in everything I do. God is my mentor and my staff, angels in disguise. It is by God’s grace that I am able to live the life that I love! — BM, GMA News Rossana Llenado is a mother of four and the founder and president of AHEAD Learning Systems.
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