Bryan told me a story he’d read years and years ago about a worry tree. The main character (a man) would come home from work and hang all of his worries on the tree before entering the house to spend time with his wife and kids. It’s a story I’ve tried to emulate in my own career.

Finding the right balance for myself, my husband, my kids, and my career took a lot of thought and work. So what’s the secret?

Staying organized?

Being a type A personality?

Loving what I do?

It’s all about focus. When I’m at work, I mentally shut off the part of my brain that is thinking about meal planning, grocery shopping, softball practice, vacation plans, and library book due dates. When I lock up the office and walk to the car, I switch gears. I mentally shut off the part of my brain that wants to continue thinking about reference questions, document processing, catalog data entry, exhibit outreach, and meetings.

When I’m at work, I’m at work and when I’m at home, I’m at home. And ideally, never the twain shall meet. (Ha!) It’s when the two of me begin to overlap that things get a little crazy and out of balance.