Meeting Guide
Juggling work and family during the pandemic
Overview
Navigating work, caregiving, and homeschooling is a daily challenge for many of us during COVID-19—and many working women bear an unfairly large burden. Here are some practical resources that shed light on the load women carry and suggest strategies for juggling it all.
Pre-Meeting Prep
- If you’re covering this topic in your virtual Circle this month — ask members to review one or more of the the below resources in advance, or review them together at the start of your meeting
Resources
- ‘I feel like I have five jobs’: Moms navigate the pandemic
- The coronavirus is a disaster for feminism
- Balancing work and elder care through the coronavirus crisis
- How to turn your home into a school without losing your sanity
- Tips from a teacher: How to homeschool your kids while working
- How to ease the burden when you’re working from home with kids
Check-In
Group activity
5 minutes or less
An icebreaker is a powerful tool to help us become present with one another and ourselves. Use this icebreaker to see how your Circle members currently feel. Go around your Circle and share an update on how you’re feeling using the traffic light colors:
- Green (mostly good)
- Yellow (mixed feelings, unsure, or just OK)
- Red (mostly not doing great)
You can also briefly share why you’re feeling that way if you’d like.
Discussion Questions
Group activity
Approx. 35 minutes
These questions are designed to help you and your Circle members connect over common challenges, share your best strategies to overcome them, and workshop solutions together.
Pick one question to start with and move on to the other questions if you have time.
- Are you taking care of kids or elders during COVID-19? What are some of the biggest challenges for you?
- What are the best coping strategies you’ve found? Do you have any pro-tips for juggling all these new different demands?
- After hearing some successful strategies from others, are there any new approaches you want to try?
- Have you asked your partner, organization, or loved ones for more help since the pandemic broke out? Did it work out well? Is there anything else that you want to try asking for to ease your burden?
One Action
Group activity
Approx. 10 minutes
Come up with a One Action
Individual activity
Approx. 5 minutes
We recommend you close every meeting by committing to a “One Action”—one concrete thing you’re going to do before your next Circle meeting to step outside your comfort zone, practice a new skill, or try something new, based on what you’ve discussed today.
Next time you meet, update your Circle on your One Action (what you did and how it went).
Take a few minutes and ask everyone to write down their One Action.
Share your One Action with your Circle
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
One by one, go around your Circle and share your One Action. Move quickly from member to member, and consider cheering one another on as you go.
Wrap-Up
Group activity
Approx. 10 minutes
Finalize logistics of your next meeting
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
Before you break, make sure you have the basics covered for your next meeting, including day and time. Decide what you’re going to do, when you are going to meet next, and who is going to send out ideas. You may also want to talk through what worked—and what didn’t—in today’s meeting so you can brainstorm improvements going forward.
Close on an uplifting note
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
Think of one small moment of joy you can plan for this week. Go around your Circle one by one and share what you’ll do. Alternatively, take a few minutes to write down something you’re grateful for—and share it with the group, if you’d like to.
