What do we mean by balance? Why is it important?
Work-life balance, in my work with my clients, is about finding ways to focus on every area of your life, so that they are all attended to. (Health, recreation, Finances, Work, family, significant other, Friends are some). So often one area takes over and the others sort of fall to the side. For instance, it is easy for work or a career to take over, but our family relationships can suffer. The catch here is that most people would say that family is more important, but our calendar and other choices don’t always reflect that.
This can be compounded around the holidays, as we feel more pressure and have much more things to do.
Should you be hustling 24/7, or even accessible. Where’s the balance?
The balance Is in the boundaries.
It seems that most people consider balance as a task to complete or a destination or outcome to get to. I believe this is where the frustration comes in; you think you’re supposed to create this perfectly balanced life and when you don’t you think you must be doing something wrong.
If it is viewed on a continuum instead, like something you review and adjust on a regular basis, such as every month, it is very freeing because there is no getting around the fact that things change and that new things will come up. It is the way things are.
You have the flexibility to make adjustments as needed. This one simple change can help you feel more in control of your time, your choices, your success.
Why is Balance so important?
Because every area of our life, you, your family and your work affect every other.
Because taking care of yourselves, living with more work-life balance, is often an afterthought, yet it affects everything you do, it affects how you feel, it affects your work, your income, your family, your relationships, your health, and your overall wellbeing.
And because you all are good at putting others first, you forget what you want. You don’t even realize the negative effects this can have.
This is never truer than around the holidays. You try to do more, you push yourself, you may run yourself ragged trying to do it all and keep up with the responsibilities of work and family.
Now add in relatives and entertaining. Your parents are coming to visit and possible staying with you, other entertaining that you do and suddenly your time is short, and so is your attitude because you have so little time to unplug.
These tools, that I am about to share, will help make this time easier, more enjoyable and less stressful. They will help you to finish the year strong and transition into the new one just as strong. They can increase your productivity, efficiency, organization and still allow you to unplug. In fact, the beauty of these tools is that they work all year long.
1. Automate what you can. For instance: Christmas cards, or shopping lists. Any gifts you have to buy, yes what about bundling them together as well. Teachers get the same gift, so do your bosses and they can be done at the same time.
2. Eliminate any distractions that you can – or things that tend to take you off your game or sidetrack you from what is important.
3. Touch paper only once. How often do you open the mail, and then set it down to come back to it later? Creating a stack on the counter or your desk It builds and becomes a time suck. Touch it once, all the way to completion.
4. Same goes for email. Touch it only once. Though this one might be harder to do for some reason. Do your best, to set aside time to respond to the emails, if you are going to read them.
One last note, you don’t have to adopt all of these ideas at once, pick one that sounds good to you and start there. The idea is to make life easier for you, not harder.
