Sunday, September 16, 2012

[e-Book Review] Workshift by Anne Bogel



For anyone who is interested in creating a "better blend of work, life, and family," you might be interested in  a new e-book Work Shift by Anne Bogel of The Modern Mrs. Darcy blog.

Contemporary females of the 20-21st century, particularly wives and mothers, are always struggling to "have it all." It is the epitome of the feminist dream, to have meaningful work, a solid marriage, and loving family relationships. However, Bogel argues that a new paradigm of work/life balance is emerging: that you can still have a job, earn reasonable income, and still spend time with your family without having to choose. This is known as the workshift, or "share care," where both partners trade off in their job and household responsibilities. In other words, both work and family are blended together.

Excerpt: "There used to be - 20, 30 years ago - a hard line between work and family. Mothers could join the workforce full-time, or stay home with the kids full-time. Some women were able to find something in the middle - something that combined both - but it was hard to do. 9-5 work was the norm...But more and more, today's women don't have to choose. The black and white world of working mother vs. stay-at-home mother is giving way to grey...Men today also want to spend more time with their families than the generations before us did, and are engineering new work/life arrangements to make it happen. They're also trading high-stress, high-salary jobs for fulfilling work that lets them enjoy family time - and enjoy more of it."

This book is particularly fascinating to me because I have recently starting thinking about my work and family situation, both present and future. Both my husband and I have a 9-to-5 job, but we are interested in (slowly) transitioning that to something more flexible in preparation to start a family so that we can be more present for our future kids and hopefully, one day, become our own boss. Whist we haven't figured out yet how that would happen, it is reassuring to see that we are not alone in our thinking. In fact, Bogel includes many success stories and different ages and stages this workshift could take place. This may be something we will refer back to from time to time.

Overall, this e-book was a quick and easy read. It's aimed at females, particularly mothers or mothers-to-be, but I think husbands and fathers should read it too. How successful the workshift becomes depend not only on the flexibility of your schedule but also on the commitment of your partner. After all, times are changing. Shouldn't we all?

You can get the new e-book here or kindle version here (both for $8).

* I was provided with an advanced copy of Work Shift e-book for my review. I was not compensated for my review, and all opinions are of my own.

No comments:

Post a Comment