Balancing being a mum, an apprentice and an employee | by Reshma Gayadeen

“There is no such thing as work-life balance – it is all life. The balance has to be within you.” – Sadhguru

In my thirties, I achieved what I believed to be the perfect work-life balance. I was good at prioritising my needs and wants against building a successful career and travelling frequently to the Caribbean where my family lives. I would rarely ever work late and always logged off and made my way home on time. Most days I would be able to switch off when I logged off. There was always the temptation to think about a project I am working on or how to improve services or performance. But the temptation to switch off and read a novel, video call my family or work out was always greater than the temptation to work. I think that is what helped me to achieve a healthy work-life balance: having passions outside of work that I looked forward to.

This was pre-covid. This was also before I became a mum for the first time.

Working Through Covid and In Isolation Shifted My Work-Life Balance

When the country went into lockdown, we went from working four days at the office and one day from home to working full-time from home. My husband and I lived in a one-bedroom apartment at the time. Setting up workstations in our living room and bedroom made it feel as if we were always at the office. It was harder to shut off at the end of the day. 

One of the key steps in shutting off for me used to be leaving the office and putting my headphones on. My music signalled the end of the workday for me. Being at home, there was no commute and my work desk was always in sight. I started working longer hours and having meetings that went on beyond 5 pm.  

This balance shifted again when I became pregnant with my first child and my focus became my health and my sleep and I struggled with my workload. In addition to this, I was in the middle of my Project Management Apprenticeship at Multiverse. I ended up taking early maternity leave and had a break in learning from my apprenticeship. 

Returning To Work From Maternity Leave

I was so excited to return to work after over a year’s maternity leave. I looked forward to being challenged professionally and using my knowledge and skills and getting back into my apprenticeship programme. I did not anticipate the adjustments I had to make to achieve any kind of work-life balance with a toddler. It was hard readjusting to working full days on very little sleep. 

No one can prepare you for a life with a toddler, much less balancing work, study and any little me time you can find.  I went from being a person who always put myself and my needs first to being a person who put myself last. It took me three months to start striking that healthy work-life balance again. Here’s what I learned:

• Focus on one task at a time during working hours. Set a timer.
• Schedule breaks for yourself in your diary. Take that time to focus on yourself, take a walk, exercise, do a face mask, journal or do something to unwind and bring yourself back to centre.
• Log off on time. Manage your time and prioritise your tasks. Remember it can’t all be done in one day!

Creating a healthy work-life balance is always a work in progress. Life throws you many curve balls, which will always tip the balance you have created for yourself. There is no perfect equation. It must be what works for you and your family and your career. My daughter shifted my balance to an extreme where I had to find myself again and be comfortable taking time to prioritise myself so that I was not just being a mum, an employee or a student. I had to find the balance again within me.

Reshma Gayadeen is a Project Management apprentice at Multiverse based in London UK and is writing for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. Here’s more about her:

‘I have always been passionate about creative writing and journaling. I am inspired by personal life stories, music, and nature. I am a new mum to an 18-month toddler and I decided to join the blogging team so that I can justify finding time in my day to dedicate to writing.’