Networking is vital to a successful career in almost any field. Without the time and ability to engage in networking at the same level as their non-parent peers, working parents need to get creative and develop concrete strategies for cultivating professional relationships. If you’re struggling to find the time, try systematizing your approach so that it becomes a seamless part of your routine without stealing precious hours from your day with these easy strategies.

Relating to your child is probably the most irreplaceable job you have as a parent: you are, more than anyone else on Earth, who your children look to for affirmation and recognition of their self-worth. Ultimately, most of us “get” the need to spend time with our kids, but relating to kids at every age and stage isn’t always so easy. It helps to convert relating into tangible, measurable actions that allow you to connect with different aspects of your child’s developing personality and identity. When it comes down to it, relating can be broken down into four categories of activities, all of which provide a platform for connecting, bonding, and infusing your child with the unconditional message that they matter…

A 75-year study at Harvard University, known as the Grant Study, found that close relationships — more than money, fame, IQ, or genes — are what keep people happy and healthy over a long life. It’s one thing to cultivate close relationships with people who live under our roof or within our community. But staying close to those who live further away is a whole different challenge. Often, we tend to rely on social media to do the heavy lifting, keeping us up-to-date on the lives of our friends and family members. But that can’t be all there is. For our long distance relationships to go the distance, it’s important to actively prioritize and nourish them.

The Beatles had it right… “All You Need is Love.” But not just the romantic kind. People thrive on friendships and human connection. Strong personal relationships are essential to our health and wellbeing. Yet, many of us are so overwhelmed by the demands of our day-to-day work and personal lives, we neglect to put the effort into our social lives. All too often, Friday night rolls around, and we realize we haven’t made any plans for the weekend. One of the best ways to ensure you connect with others on a regular basis is to create routines and habits that zap planning from the equation.

Many of us enter this whole cohabitating thing with a lot of love, but without a clue. We get blindsided by the amount of joint-decision making there is to do — like dividing the logistics, in a way that is transparent, fair, and manageable. Because it’s so uncomfortable to talk about, people tend to just gravitate toward the things they notice — which is not the same as aligning on the workload as partners. Operating independently means work is done without recognition and resentments build over the tedious day-to-day stuff.  In the absence of direct conversation, one party ends up taking on the lion’s share of the work. Studies show that this is often the woman, who ends up feeling burdened by both the physical and emotional labor involved. The workload becomes so exhausting, there’s not enough energy left to cultivate the relationship.

Ginny loved her work. A vice president of marketing for an ad agency, in many ways her work defined her. Yet, Ginny’s passion for her work made her feel guilty. It took time away from her kids (7, 11 and 13) and often distracted her when they were together. She wondered constantly if she should put her goals and passion on hold, to be a better parent for her kids. This question — to work, or not to work — is emblematic of a struggle many parents face.

Having thousands, or tens of thousands, of unread emails piled up in your inbox can be debilitating — it’s overwhelming to sort through and navigate and just the thought of doing so is enough to zap your energy, causing you to feel defeated before you’ve even begun. But it doesn’t have to be this way! You can gain back control of your inbox without spending hours and hours, sorting through email by email, or creating a complex filing system. In fact, a small investment of time can allow you to hit refresh near-instantly, without losing any critical information. Here’s how…

We all desire self-care. More importantly, we’ve all come to understand that we need self-care. The physical and psychological benefits of self-nurturance have been scientifically proven, time and time again. It’s no longer a revolutionary concept. But we often struggle to attain and sustain it because, well, life happens, getting in the way of our best laid plans. So what can we do? It’s time to reframe our thinking on self-care.

Many people think exercise means 60-90 minutes three times a week, at the gym or in a class. And it can be difficult to break out of that notion; it’s how most of us used to exercise before we had kids. Now, as a parent, you may have adopted an all or nothing mentality: you know it’s impossible to exercise as much as (or in the way) you once did, so you stop altogether.  It’s time to rethink your exercise routine. Let’s envision a new approach to fitness.

The word clutter often evokes a powerful image: stacks of newspapers, magazines, old mail, brochures, and leaflets piled high and littered about every surface; items shoved haphazardly into any available nook, crany, or crevice; closets overflowing with shirts and sweaters you haven’t worn in years; chaos, disorder, and mess as far as the eye can see. But what about the invisible clutter, the intangible clutter? Time clutter.

Whether you were organized or not before you had kids, arranging logistics for family life is different and more complex than organizing for a single person. Engaging every member of the household in arranging tasks, including kids from an early age, is a good thing. It promotes a sense of responsibility and belonging; imparts the value of caring for others in relationships; and teaches critical life skills that will benefit your children into adulthood. A simple conversation with your family may be just the thing you need to hit reset on your household’s division of labor.

As an organizer, I have long been fascinated by museums: the way they’re curated, how the exhibits are arranged, and why they’ve chosen to acquire and display the pieces in their possession. So it may come as no surprise that one of the highlights from my recent trip to St. Petersburg — aside from seeing the beauty of the city itself, a long time dream of mine — was visiting The State Hermitage Museum and discovering the beautiful history of organizing.

Work-life balance — we all crave it, yet it seems so incredibly difficult to achieve. It’s easy for us to say “it’s impossible… my job is just too demanding.” And that might be true. In today’s work-place climate, it’s all too easy for work to become a 24/7, all-consuming aspect of our lives. Yet, with very few exceptions, it likely doesn’t need to be this way.  

How do you take the time to rest as a parent? Better yet, where will you find it? Research shows there are 4 types of active rest  — that is, rest that requires you to carve out mere minutes or even seconds during the day — that any parent can master to feel more alert, focused, and present, no matter how sleep deprived.

While raising my daughter, I was baffled at how difficult is was for myself and other parents to know our roles when it came to our kid’s schoolwork. Were we meant to supervise and help them? If so, to what extent? Where was the line between helping them and doing it for them? And was it our job to ensure that it got done or theirs? 

A friend once said that what she loves about travel, is that every time you go on a trip, you are changed forever.  She is so right. We see and experience things when we go to places we’ve never been that simply cannot happen by armchair travel through a Google search.  This summer, I had an extraordinary opportunity to go to Africa--and it was one of those trips that changed me in ways I am still synthesizing.

As a parent, whether you are single or married, have one kid or ten, it’s not uncommon to feel totally isolated. Your only hope for managing the job comes from building a village of people with whom you can share the journey of being a parent. That includes practical support, like sharing carpool duties and pediatrician recommendations, and also emotional support…

School's out for summer. And you know what that means for kids and parents everywhere: lots of family time, later than usual bed times, and for working parents especially, a mad scramble to cobble together a week-to-week schedule that keeps the kids engaged and safe…

For many people, breaking away from the gravitational pull of work is extremely difficult. Our drive to get things done, feel a sense of accomplishment, and succeed often keeps us working well past the point of diminishing returns. We find ourselves saying, “Let me just squeeze in one more thing from my to-do list and THEN I’ll go home for the day,” or “Once we get past these huge projects, THEN I’ll take a vacation.”  

Teaching kids life skills is one of the primary responsibilities we parents have to our children: and yet, it can be such a tricky and emotionally charged area. Organizing, Time Management and Money Management are critical to life’s success, but aren’t typically taught in schools, or handed down easily from parent to child.