仕事納め Last day of work

English version of this article is available below.

こんにちは、3児ワーママのマミントンです 。

昨日（１２月３０日）は仕事納めでした。

今年はコロナ禍の影響で在宅勤務が増え、自宅での仕事タイムと自分タイムの境界線が曖昧になり。仕事しながら洗濯機回せたり、休憩時間に夕飯の支度ができるのはとても効率的である一方で、夜何時まででも仕事ができてしまう環境が良いのか悪いのかは未だ分かりません。子どもが帰宅後もどうしても終わらせなくてはならない仕事があり、ピリピリしながら構ってほしい子どもに向かって声をあげてしまって、後々罪悪感を感じることも。

でもすべてはバランス。

夜中まで電話会議に出る日があれば、次の日はいつもより朝はゆっくりめに仕事を始める。どんなに忙しくても、一日の真ん中に３０分の休憩はカレンダー上でブロックしておく。私はまだ取り入れられていないのですが、社内では日中の休憩時間の瞑想がとても効果的と話題になっています。休憩のないワーキングママライフに疲れるのではなく、現状を受け入れて楽しめるよう来年は色々工夫してみたいです。

英語では「embrase」と言いますね。

自分はもっとできる、もっと上を目指せる、と頑張るのもとても素敵だけど。ありのままの自分を受け入れて、今の幸せを大切にすることも忘れてはならないと感じています。

Hello, I’m Mamington, a working mom of three.

Yesterday (12/30) was the last day of work for the year.

This year was chaotic. COVID-19 took over everyones’ lives. We learned to work from home with children running around and the line between work life and personal life became very vague. Being able to do laundry and cook dinner in between meetings was efficient, but an environment where we are unable to switch on and off, and being able to work until as late as I want (or need) is not always ideal. I felt guilty on so many occasions when I just wanted to get something done, and children wanted attention, and I raised my voice.

Life is all about the balancing act.

On days that I have late night conference calls with my global counterparts, I could start the day a little later than usual. Even on the busiest of days, force myself to put a 30 minute break in my calendar. Meditation has also become popular and everyone who has tried says it works magic. Instead of getting tired of a life as a working mother of three, I want to learn to be creative and enjoy this life.

People often refer to this as “embrasing” in English.

Being motivated and always reaching for the stars is amazing. But accepting myself for who I am today and appreciating the small happiness in our every day lives are so precious. Never take anything for granted.