Recently I got an earful from my husband who thinks I can go over the top when it comes to work and family.

“Why can’t we just thaw chicken nuggets for dinner?” he sometimes asks when I’m in the midst of cooking a gourmet meal during the week and simultaneously complaining that I don’t have time to do anything. Preparing such a meal I don’t really have time to prepare typically means I end up working late at night on a story as a result.

“Everything doesn’t have to be perfect,” he has stressed to me more than once.

Well, I’m going to admit something to all of you. I need help. This stupid be-perfect battle often goes on in my head and it ain’t fun. Maybe it’s a super mommy thing, or maybe I’m just not right. Either way, it can sometimes cause great work-life balance strife.

In the end, everything suffers. It causes stress and who do you think will get the brunt of that, the family I tried so hard to take care of. And it doesn’t really help my work productivity level in the long run because at some point I begin to feel hopelessly overwhelmed.

That’s why I decided to run a guest blog post from a fellow career writer who doesn’t have this perfectionist problem. (Although I’d argue she seems pretty perfect.)

Yes, sometimes even the CareerDiva needs a career diva. (more…)