It’s May-cember

The end of the school year is fast approaching in some parts of the country and for working parents, that means the impending chaos that comes with “May-cember.” This is the time of year when personal schedules are thrown out the window due to sports tournaments, proms, recitals, concerts, awards ceremonies, graduation parties, and all the other exciting end of year festivities. Busy schedules can quickly become unmanageable as the events seemingly pop up out of nowhere at the most inopportune times. Some happen during the school day, immediately following it, or at all hours of the night.

If you are living though it, give yourself some grace and try to enjoy it, because it won’t be like this for long. And if you aren’t in the phase but want to support your friends/employees/coworkers, finding ways to support flexibility is the key.

There’s a saying that “the days are long, but the years are short”, and as I pulled away after dropping my teenaged son off to visit his friend in college, that point could not have hit any closer to home. My children are the reason that I make flex work. My children are the reason I chose to think about my care development differently. My children are the reason that I pivoted my entire career 4 years ago.

Making Flex Work for me means focusing on the right work from the right place at the right time to make sure that everyone gets what they need. As an example, one current client works on pacific time, so my east coast evenings are the perfect time to connect (it also works for my college students who have questions outside normal business hours) leaving my afternoons available to enjoy family time.

What work could you and your team shift so everyone could feel a little more balanced as the weather gets warmer?