- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 0
-
Sparkle (0)
We hear a lot these days about "balance" or "work/life balance" and we are all for it, but what does it really mean to be "balanced" and is it something that we can actually attain.
Most of us lead the kind of hectic lifestyle that could hardly be described as balanced. We have jobs, kids, spouses, parents, community, business, friends and extended family responsibilities pulling at our time and energy. How could we possibly be balanced.
I suggest that the busier you are and the more areas of your life you are juggling, the greater the need for you to find balance. Most people cannot operate indefinitely with their life out of control without reaching a breaking point. I am suggesting that we all need to at least entertain the idea of finding some sort of balance to stay sane!
Since it is hard to find something if we don't know what it looks like, let's start by defining what balance looks like. The reason most of us struggle with the concept of balance is because it tends to look a little different to everyone. I like to think of balance as spending my time equally (or as equally as possible) on responsibilities and recharging. Having said that I realize that all of us are different and for some people recharging may be as simple as half a day at the beach and for someone else it may take two weeks at a four-star resort to recharge. Assuming that most of us are somewhere in the middle, we all need to take some time to recharge our personal batteries by finding something that refreshes us and makes us more alert for our responsibilities.
For most of us, our work dictates how busy we are because we must fulfill those responsibilities in order maintain an income. Look at balancing your life first in the areas that you can control. With most of my clients, I begin by examining what their schedule at home is like and try and help them find ways to create "islands" in their schedule that will refresh them and give them greater strength and creativity for work.
I realize that creating balance in your life may come as quite a shock to those around you, especially those at work who may be used to you working from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. From their perspective, you becoming more balanced is going to cut into your work productivity and output. So before you start on your journey to leading a more balanced life, prepare your boss and co-workers. Depending on your boss, you may want to gradually begin by shortening your work day a few days a week until you are always leaving at a reasonable time. This will also help you to ease into planning your day in such a way as to allow you to leave earlier without impacting your work.
Since balancing our lives is a huge topic and I want to spend a few days talking about it. I think most of us believe balance is only a dream and can only be achieved by those who have extraordinary jobs with no families or children to consider. I don't believe that is true. I think balance is about choice, and choice is based on values.
In short, balance is available to all of us, but it looks different for each of us based on our personal choices and preferences. Think about what you value and it will lead you to your balance.
