I’m too Busy! Steps to a Balanced Life
by Norma LaForme M.Div
With all of us working at more then one job, Networking in order to connect with new clients, Connecting with current clients, finding time for ourselves can be a real challenge. This article is to first of all discuss the problems with not having a work/life balance and then to discuss how to achieve work life balance.
The cost of not managing the challenge:
There are articles everyday in the paper of people who have not managed this challenge well: things like
- Challenges with addictions
- Divorce
- Conflict or Bullying in the workplace
- Difficulties with parenting
- Stress
- Depression
- Conflict with all relationships
And the list goes on. The reason that people in business need to be vigilant in dealing with work life balance is that there is a high stress level when you are in your own business. You need to choose how you are going to respond to different situations before they happen. For instance: we all know that when you work for yourself it is possible to put in several hours of work a week. The rest of this article will discuss how to achieve work life balance so you will be more effective in everything you do.
One of the main areas you need figure out is when your non-work-hours are going to be. Then when those hours come try and stick to them. Now I know this is not always possible to do, however, if you end up working on your non-work hours, do the best you can to take tie time back. No matter who you are, we all need time to relax and renew, as well as time to spend time with friends. If we do not take the time we need, we will not be effective in the job we are doing; no matter how many hours we end up working.
How to gain a well balanced life.
Life is about learning how to manage everything effectively. Just like there are rules to doing well financially, there are also rules to follow in order to live a well-balanced life. The rest of this article will give you rules or guidelines in order to be effective a good work/life balance.
1. Make sure you are able to get enough sleep. There are all kinds of studies that tell us that it is important to get enough sleep and most people don’t. A good guideline is that most people need between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If your body does not get this it has a sleep deficit, which must be made up at some point. Many people have early meetings so we need to account for the time we may loose. If we give our body enough rest it will pay off in the energy we have and the work we get done.
2. Spend time with family and friends, it is important to spend time with family and friends because these are the people who keep you grounded and helps you to think through things. They give you advice and if they are wise they will tell you when you are making mistakes. If you have children it is important for you to spend quality time with your children so you will have a good relationship with them and when they need advice they will come to you. If you do not have your own children, make time for spending time with children of your extended family or children of your friends. Children have the gift of imagination and creativity, and by hanging out with children they or young people, they show us new ways of seeing the world, as well as teaching us how not to be cynical.
3. Spend part of your week volunteering if possible. Volunteering is a good way to give back to your community is rewarding. If it is different from what you do for a living it can be a good way to relax.
4. Spend time doing activities that you enjoy. It is important to have activities that we can part in so we can relax our mind by taking a total break. I read an interview with one executive and he said that he is a classical pianist. This gentleman said that he practices about 2 hours a day and this gives him a total break from the work he does.
5. Take regular vacations. Our society is set up in such a way that most of the year we have a number of long weekends, so take advantage of all the long weekends and if you can use your vacation time to take extra long weekends. With enough vacations and breaks, you will feel refreshed when you are at work.
You will also be more effective in your life in general if you learn to take care of all of those problems and issues that tend to come up in life when we least expect the to. If a conflict comes up with a friend or a family member, the sooner you are able to resolve the issue, the better you are able to move on in your relationship.
From time to time we all have issues of grief or loss that come up, we will be more effective in the long run if we work through issues that are emotional when they come up. Since these issues are difficult some people tend to put off working through difficult issues such as sadness or grief, you will be more effective in your life overall. If you ever become stuck in working through an issue at any time, it may be time to hire a counselor to assist you in working through issues.
I hope this article has been helpful in learning how to achieve a more effective work/life balance issues. If you take the time to add balance to your life, you will be more effective in everything you do.
About the Author
Norma LaForme has an M.Div in counseling and offers one on one counseling to people with addictions issues, people who have challenges in their workplaces such as communication and anger management issues, marital counseling and assisting people with disabilities and their families. I can work with people with insurance, as well as on a fee per service basis. For further information see my website at www.newlifesolutions.ca.
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