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Dahlia Khater

Mercer Marsh Benefits Leader - Egypt

08/03/2024

"I am also a big believer in harnessing the support available to you. At work, this means being clear on which tasks I can delegate, and how, while at home it means calling on people I can trust or appointing helpers where possible."

We’re all incredibly busy, what with our kids, house, job and husband – in that order!

Alright, I’m joking about the order of priorities, but the reality is that women have a lot to take care of. It actually helps to admit that you can’t do everything, and to acknowledge that your efforts to achieve balance usually don’t work out.

I think that, rather than striving for that mythical balance, it’s more realistic to allow some things to take precedence over others, according to your stage of life. For example, when my children were younger and more dependent on me, I made a conscious choice to focus on simply maintaining my career, rather than advancing it. Even this drew comment from many people, who felt that my career should take a backseat at this time so that I could dedicate all my energy to my home life. I had to work hard to block out those voices, keep focused on what I wanted and remain close to those who shared my vision and wanted me to succeed. This helped me stay motivated.

The long-term juggle becomes easier if you break it down into a series of smaller tasks. One of my favorite tools in this regard is the daily to-do list. I make lists for everything, setting time aside to do this either in the early morning or the night before, and ranking each item according to its order of importance. Even the simple or most mundane tasks are assigned a place on my list. It’s a great time saver – for example, if I’m working off a grocery list, I don’t waste precious minutes wandering around the aisles looking for what I need.

I am also a big believer in harnessing the support available to you. At work, this means being clear on which tasks I can delegate, and how, while at home it means calling on people I can trust or appointing helpers where possible. For instance, my mother used to take care of my children until I got home from work. I also take shortcuts where I can, like using readymade meals instead of cooking.

I try to make life as simple as possible. Often, this means cutting out complications: I have only a handful of friends, and have honed my organizational skills so that I don’t waste time by being inefficient. I never aim for perfection, either at work or home – rather, I focus on what’s most important. At home, this means aiming for quality time, rather than quantity.

I try to multi-task where possible. For example, I take business calls while driving or use the time at the children’s extramurals to check my emails.

Finally, I make a point of taking advantage of the support offered by my organisation, such as the ability to work from home. Every little bit of flexibility helps!