Work At Home Bookstore

Anonymous says:

I am a regular reader of Working Mother magazine and was looking forward to the publication of this book. I have a busy, full-time job and a toddler, and feel I’m fairly organized already, but believe that if I can get just one time-saving tip, a book like this is worth the purchase price. However, I was rather disappointed in this book. First, I think that the book doesn’t really have many new tips for “seasoned”, organized working moms. (Note: I think that this book would be good for either: 1)new moms who are just beginning the daily juggling act of being a working mom, or 2) moms who need some help organizationally.) If you read the magazine, you will recognize many of the tips from articles you’ve already read. Second, I believe that the “you can do it all” perspective of this book helps perpetuate the superwoman myth that causes alot of us guilt when we can’t do everything! According to this book, you can have a career, kids, relationship, time for yourself, time with friends, and time for community service if you just plan properly. (As the book says—your life will be busy, but wouldn’t it be boring if you weren’t busy! )I think this is unrealistic, and I think a frank discussion of the tradeoffs and sacrifices you have to make as a working mother (like skipping community service or spending less time with friends when your kids are small) would be more appropriate. It seemed to me that the book didn’t deal with any “life balance” issues, only how to cram more into an already over-packed schedule. The introduction and the epilogue were very brief and perfunctory and I thought they could have been used to frame these broad issues in a much more realistic and useful way. Two other books I’ve read recently deal with the time issue in a much more balanced, holistic way. For a fresh perspective, try Ariel Gore’s “The Mother Trip”–it is worth the price of the book just for her three pages that debunk the “Having It All” myth. For practical, hands-on advice on how to manage your time so it reflects your priorities, I recommend Cheryl Richardson’s “Take Time For Your Life”. The author is a personal coach and her book is warm, supportive and encouraging–and says that you have to make hard choices about what you want to do with your life, because you can’t do everything! According to the Working Mother book you can do everything—my question is, when do you sleep!
Rating: 3 / 5