Home Vs Career? Make the Hard Choice

This makes sense. A supportive home is like a foundation that equips you to cope with the rest of your life. When your foundation is strong, you are able to achieve greater things if you come from a base of chaos and ill-health. So maybe there is some truth in the adage of ‘cluttered home, cluttered mind’.

Organizations, good systems, efficient strategies, these are all the hallmarks of successful people, who apply these skills, not just in business, but in life. When was the last time you entered the office or home of a person who was at the top of their field and found the surface covered in clutter? Mess and success are not natural bedfellows in the workplace. It appears the same may be true within the home.

For proof of this, think of the effect your home has on your mood, your energy and your self-esteem. Then consider how these factors affect your career performance. Put this away, the link between the state of our home and your aspirations seems obvious. And in recognizing this link, you begin to see real advantages in taking care of your home. If you are at all success-focused, this can be hugely motivating with regard to housework. If you have big career dreams and ambitions, this insight can help you to see housework, not as an obstacle to your advancements, but as an integral part of your success.

Also, bear in mind that having the time to take care of your home does not mean you have failed in life. In fact, with the modern pursuit of work-life balance, the freedom to simple domestic pleasures is fast becoming a barometer for true success. Gone are the days when furs and fast cars were the ultimate goal. Now it seems that a abundance of time to spend on home and family is the achievement of choice. Success is becoming more about lifestyle than status symbols.

‘An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.’ – Bonnie Friedman

Hopefully this will help you get past the idea that domestic work is subordinate to real work. The two can, and do, complement each other. So not only does your home play an important role in your success, having the time to give it the love and attention it deserves is, in itself, a considerable achievement.

However career-focused you are, there will always be some housekeeping to be done, even if it is just tidying up before the cleaner arrives. And by embracing the idea that home-care can work in harmony with your ambitions, you will be infinitely happier as you are doing it.