Being a mom and trying to juggle a career with family life is never an easy thing to do. Yet, more moms than ever have day jobs.

Despite progress made in gender equality in the workplace, statistics show that women continue to shoulder more responsibility in work and family life than the men. A 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center discovered that mothers who had children 18 years and below were three times more likely than the fathers to complain about how difficult it was for them to advance in their job or career.

Even more worrisome for mothers who have full-time jobs is the feeling of guilt and stress that comes with having to divide attention between their work and family. After all said and done, the secret to achieving a sense of balance is to strategize, get organized and discover the midpoint between work and motherhood.

Here are key things you must do as you make the transition.

7 Superb Ways to Balance Work and Family Without The Guilt

1. Get Rid of The Guilt

Rather than constantly beating yourself for not being with your child during the day, replace the guilty thoughts with how your job is helping with the family goals. Think about how it’s now possible to help you achieve your dreams for your child, like being able to enroll him or her in that top quality school or class, or putting money aside for his or her college.

2. Get Quality Childcare

Look for good child care with facilities and personnel that put you at ease and that your child loves. Ask around or among your network of friends, colleagues, and family for quality daycare centers, babysitters or nannies. List out your criteria and find time to interview qualified candidates or visit daycare centers that appeal to you. Remember that young kids will try and make you feel guilty when you leave them. That is one of the tools they use. Find out how they are during the day, not just at the moment you depart. Most parents find their kids love their time at nursery once you are gone. Again, let go of the guilt.

3. Plan For The Morning The Night Before

Planning your day the night before will help to make the morning easier and less frazzled for everyone. Before going to bed lay out the kid’s clothes, as well as your own, pack their lunches and have everyone shower. You should also decide what to make for breakfast.

4. Network More

Once you marry and begin to have kids, it is easy to get burdened with work and family duties and hardly have time for business networking.  Running the family and performing in the workplace are demanding for a woman.

But the good thing is that networking has become easier in this advanced digital era. We can now quickly connect with friends and colleagues on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, email or chat with the on new media platforms such as WhatsApp.

You could even register a domain name and build a personal blog to show off your skills, share your thoughts and reach out to other professionals in your niche.

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5. Cultivate and Show Confidence

It may not be immediately evident, but many women grapple with a lack of confidence. It’s not the reserve of women, men do too. Being able to achieve balance in your work and career life vital to feeling in control. If you do not feel a measure of control it is very difficult to feel confident.

One way to help you cultivate and express confidence is to create a work portfolio where you can list out your achievements. It will instantly boost your confidence and help you realize how much you have achieved.

You should also make learning a continuous process, which will help you to thrive better in any situation and make you more self-confident by giving you the tools to be empowered.

6. Connect With Your Kids During The Day

You can sufficiently bridge any gap created by your absence during the day by staying connected with your kids over the phone. If your kids are younger, you could also try recording your voice by talking or singing, or videoing, or read along with your child’s favorite storybook. If you have older children, you could connect and bond with them over facetime.

7. Organize Special Family Times and Outings

Special family weekend outings are a great way to make up for your absence and build the unity of the family. You could organize occasional family picnics at the beach, family lunches at a favorite restaurant, a family night in with board games, or a family weekend outing at the movies. 

Remember to keep conversations tender, understanding and focused on the kids’ interests, such as their school work and extracurricular activities. Your kids want to know you value them, and they want your time. Make that time together magical and it won’t be draining. They will reflect you, so don’t get frustrated, or bring work home unless you absolutely have to. When you are with them, just be with them.