Being a new mother is a life-changing experience and a full-time job. And while nobody denies that new moms have their plates full, and the entire family dynamic gets a complete makeover, few have found the perfect balance between having a child and having a career. If you entertain the thought of going back to work or hunting for a new job after you took maternity leave, you may find yourself in a world of trouble because each woman has to deal with her own challenges and one size never fits all.

So to help you out, we recommend creating a project management plan.

How to Ease Back Into Work After Maternity Leave

TIP: Adapt Project Management Decision Making to Your Personal Situation

This may sound cold and cynical, but after staying home with the baby, getting back into your working game may be frightening on so many levels. What if you lost your skills along the way? What if the working environment will frown upon you leaving early? And what if the little one at home will be affected by your leave and develop separation anxiety or an attachment disorder?

Such questions can tear you apart and can make the decision ten times harder. In truth, there is no right time to go back to work after you had the baby. Your decision, however, should be based on four key concepts that are also relevant when you have to decide whether or not to implement a new business project.

1. Emotion

You won’t really know how you will feel being away from your baby until you are, and that is perfectly fine. Thoroughly analyze how you will feel letting the child in the hands of someone else. You should also analyze how you will feel if you continue to stay at home instead of pursuing your career. A pros and cons list may seem obsolete, but it will give you a clear idea of what is important to you emotionally.

2. Finance

Can you afford to stay home? Can you find a job flexible enough to ensure you a comfortable income without keeping you away from your baby from here on end? How much money do you really need to make? What type of job do you really need? What is available out there for new moms? Are there other alternatives to consider? Is it enough to take a part-time job and share your opinion for good money for instance, or do you need a full-time job to cover all expenses?

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3. Logistics

Who is going to take care of the little one while you are at work? Can you afford/trust a sitter given the budget you envisioned and the emotional burden you have to deal with? Can you find a job that allows you flexible schedules or encourages new mothers to get back into their game?

4. Product

In this case, the product is you and your way of selling yourself to the marketplace. One tip to consider is to capitalize on your skills as a mother and transfer them to a new working environment. You can certainly rock multitasking, gained a stellar attention to detail, social skills, and time management skills and so on. Add compassion, patience, tolerance, understanding and creativity in problem-solving and you can build a rock-solid resume to hunt for the job you decide you want. In our day and time, employers value transferable skills even more than technical ones.

Implement “Project You”

As a piece of advice, try to get this decision through a SWOT analysis – just like you’d do if you were to implement a new project at the workplace. Better yet, take each emotional, financial and logistical aspect of your decision through a SWOT analysis. Analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will break everything down in the smallest of details and help you look at things from a different perspective.

If the results point towards you going back to work, then it is time to put the papers aside and get some action going. Remember, in life as in business, a failure is not a catastrophe, and a setback is an opportunity to change perspective.