Making Time For Friends

During July 2011, 671 women across Australia aged between 25-49 took part in a survey conducted by Ipsos Marketing. It looked at how women were spending their time and how they felt about their division of time. The survey was commissioned by Baileys and the report has some interesting findings:

Making Time For Me
Of late I haven’t spent as much time as I would like with some of my closest friends. It isn’t becuase I don’t think my family can’t cope with out me, but because I haven’t prioritised very well. Something a couple of friends and I have done recently to make sure we see each other more regularly is to look in a regular morning each month. Blocking it out in the calendar makes sure it will happen.

Every time I catch up with my girlfriends I feel recharged, connected and calmer. I have known them for so many years (one since when I was in kinder!) and they make me feel grounded no matter how crazy everything might be at the time. Love them lots – just need to see them more!

Making Time For Me
I so agree with the never ending amount of home work. Last week’s guest post on Balancing Motherhood with Career has some great tips on how to stay on top of it without burning yourself out.

I did a quick calculation to work out what % of time I spend on my own interests. If you don’t include blogging, then it is about 7%, but I love blogging and spend some of my “work”time reading blogs etc so it is hard to determine if that is not part of personal interest too??? But in our house I think Mr I would only spend about the same amount of time on his personal interests as well. That is when he is not training for a really ridiculously long bike race of course!

Making Time For Me
I know many women who feel this stress, but I have always had the support of my husband to make sure I take time out for myself. This time for me is at the gym and it has been the best way for me to manage the stress – because I do get stressed when I have looming deadlines, sick kids, personal commitments all happening at the same time.

Making Time For Me
Rebecca is a Director of Ipsos Mackay research and the author of two books, The World According to Y: Inside the New Adult Generation and Eating Between the Lines: food and equality in Australia.

I love Rebecca’s explanation of the difference between balance and juggling – two very commom terms you read about when the topic is motherhood:

“Balance is different to juggling – making small changes to free up more time will help women lead a more balanced life and give them the emotional support they need.”

Baileys will host two Late Lunches in Melbourne on September 24th and Sydney on October 22nd, with an expert panel including Lisa Wilkinson, social commentator Dr Rebecca Huntley and ACP’s Director of Media & Public Affairs Deborah Thomas, who will share their views and provide advice about how women can make more time in their lives. To register for a chance to win tickets for you and a friend to these lunches valued at $400, go the Baileys Facebook page.

Do you have the balance in you life that allows you to spend enough time with your friends?

Disclosure – I was sent the infographics by Baileys, but no payment was received and the views expressed are my own. I chose to write about the report as it fitted so aptly to the theme of motherhood for September.