Managing Your Career (HBR Working Parents Series)

2

Work + Home + Community + Self

by Stewart D. Friedman

Quick Takes

• Don’t balance; integrate the main aspects of your life
• Know what matters most to you
• Consider how you can use your skills in different roles
• Small shifts can give you big energy boosts
• Tap your most creative friends

Overcommitted. Distracted. Stressed out. Stretched too thin. This is how many of us describe ourselves today. I hear it from men and women; from the young and the old; from executives, MBA students, doctors, retailers, artisans, research scientists, soldiers, stay-at-home parents, teachers, and engineers around the world. In an age of constant communication and economic pressure, everyone is struggling to have meaningful work, domestic bliss, community engagement, ...