Working or living? How to find your balance
You’ve heard the term work-a-holic. In fact I’m sure that most of you reading this have been one/are one/heading towards being one or know someone guilty of being one.
It’s no secret in today’s society that it’s hard to get by without working insane hours; in fact society almost demands it of us. Whether you work for someone or are self employed, there are plenty of work associated demands. Whether it is the pressure to make the almighty buck, the expectation to work extra hours, the push to climb the proverbial ladder, to win more sales, to chase more leads or basically to get your business in the best shape to stay on top of competitors. With all this WORK going on you have to ask yourself where the time for the living is.[blockquote]Yes it is fantastic to be driven, even better when that drive leads to success. But where do you draw the line? What happens when work becomes life? It just blends into one…[/blockquote]
I was on the flying solo website and they were discussing this – www.flyingsolo.com.au. The reason I found this article interesting is because so many of my friends, plus people I used to work with and of course people I deal with professionally now all seem to working 24/7, “blending” work and life into one. With business networking turning into Friday drinks, company golf days scheduled for the weekend, work retreats, long lunches, after hours coffee meetings with clients and constant access to email and phone technology. It’s becoming nearly impossible to switch off and separate your work life from your real life.
In this article they call it work-life blend. The main thing I liked was the comments readers posted after the article, suggesting ways they themselves make personal time in their hectic work timetables, including such ideas as scheduling a rostered day off each month to do different activity with their kids.
It’s so easy for people to lose track of time and what is important, putting all their energy into their work. So how do you fight the system, tell Uncle Sam NO and create a balanced life? A few suggestions made by the author are:
– Taking holidays without your laptop
– Closing the door on work at 5pm
– Setting up an office away from the house
It would be a shame to wake up in 20 years time and realise you skipped through the best part of your family life and milestones. Find a balance. Wake up half an hour earlier and go for a walk with your significant other, schedule a putt putt golf day with your kids and turn your phone off when you get home. It’s scary how much things don’t fall apart if you turn your phone off over night.
As the old saying goes “work smarter, not harder”
