There is an on-going discussion on maintaining a work-life balance. In today’s world, it has been experienced that the lines between our personal and professional lives have faded considerably and started to overlap.

In my experience, the skills that I learned in one sphere of my life have contributed to the other. People need to understand that the skills acquired by a homemaker are no less than that of a CEO.

A homemaker uses all types of management skills – be it financial, marketing, HR, supply chain, etc. to manage their household. As a homemaker, I ensure that my family is happy, well-nourished, and healthy. Our capability to forecast, buy and regulate a continuous supply of all household items as per market availability and family consumption is no less than what a Supply Chain Manager does in your organization.  Can anyone beat us in preparing ‘aam ka aachar’ during summers and ensuring that it is available when you are having ‘sarson ka saag’ in winters? Only we can observe the inflation in onion prices and act accordingly by either modifying the food menu or stocking enough at the lowest available price or even finding a vegetable vendor who gives us freebies in the form of ‘dhania/ mirchi’. Like any CFO, we manage the household finances which include a child’s tuition fees, ‘dhobi ka hisaab’, all the staff salaries, or saving for a rainy day.

With the change in social structures and an increase in nuclear families, working couples, disposable incomes, and lifestyle preferences, the styles of household management may have changed however, the basics remain the same. Today, we are managing our finances with extensive budgets, use internet banking, do grocery shopping online, and ensure that our house helps are happy and productive. We are also managing a growing social circle with a focus on our ‘Me Time’. We are juggling multiple things at any given point in time.