Finding Work-Life Balance
Posted 03-08-2010 at 06:38 PM by Gifted Assistant Management
As a wife, first-time mom of an 11 month old boy (Where does the time go?) and a business owner, lately I have been asking myself, "Is there such a thing as work-life balance?"
Just recently, I asked some of my friends and family this question. Some of the comments where, "No, but when you find it let me know.", "Come on girl, you haven't figured it out yet?", "Still learning.", Excess family, work suffers...excess work, family suffers. It all equals out eventually...hmmm."
These comments lead me to look at this work-life thing a little more closely. Is it that difficult to achieve? Or is it that we tend to take on too much at one time? I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.
But in the meantime, here are a few things that I have come to realize and am using to help me in my quest of achieving work-life balance.
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Figure Out What Matters To You In Life
Whether you are in business for yourself or climbing the corporate ladder, much of what you do, how you are feeling and the level of your accomplishments, comes down to one word- Priorities.
What is most important to you in this stage of your life? What is the 2nd thing? (and so on) It is a simple but very powerful exercise. So powerful that you may have to take a day off, or block off several hours just to answer. Asking yourself "What do I want?" seems to be a hard question to answer. Maybe it is because you always put others first. But that will have to change.
Some Things Got To Go
Once you get a clearer picture of what your priorities are, it is now time to let go of those "distractions." Distractions are activities or projects you spend too much time on that have nothing to do with your top 3 or 5 priorities. If it does not help you accomplish your goals in the order of your priorities, it is more of a hindrance than a help.
So, next time your family asks you to coordinate a family gathering or you spend 4 hours on Facebook unrelated to marketing your business, consider what you could be doing towards your work-life goals.
Find "Me Time"
Schedule time for just you. We tend to make time for our family, business and even social gatherings. But you need to have time to for you. You are no good to others if you are always flustered and burned out from all those other activities.
Just recently, I did something so out of character. I turned off my cell phone and laptop for a whole weekend. Crazy? Maybe not for you, but for me that was a major move. But I felt it necessary and the benefits were amazing. I was able to relax and catch up on some reading. It allowed me to clear my head and gave room to inspiration. If you are looking to be inspired, sometimes you have to quite everything else down for inspiration to come. I was also able to enjoy my family time as a result of taking care of me first.
I hope these tidbits help! We may never have it all together. But this is a start in the right direction.
Just recently, I asked some of my friends and family this question. Some of the comments where, "No, but when you find it let me know.", "Come on girl, you haven't figured it out yet?", "Still learning.", Excess family, work suffers...excess work, family suffers. It all equals out eventually...hmmm."
These comments lead me to look at this work-life thing a little more closely. Is it that difficult to achieve? Or is it that we tend to take on too much at one time? I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.
But in the meantime, here are a few things that I have come to realize and am using to help me in my quest of achieving work-life balance.
============================== =================
Figure Out What Matters To You In Life
Whether you are in business for yourself or climbing the corporate ladder, much of what you do, how you are feeling and the level of your accomplishments, comes down to one word- Priorities.
What is most important to you in this stage of your life? What is the 2nd thing? (and so on) It is a simple but very powerful exercise. So powerful that you may have to take a day off, or block off several hours just to answer. Asking yourself "What do I want?" seems to be a hard question to answer. Maybe it is because you always put others first. But that will have to change.
Some Things Got To Go
Once you get a clearer picture of what your priorities are, it is now time to let go of those "distractions." Distractions are activities or projects you spend too much time on that have nothing to do with your top 3 or 5 priorities. If it does not help you accomplish your goals in the order of your priorities, it is more of a hindrance than a help.
So, next time your family asks you to coordinate a family gathering or you spend 4 hours on Facebook unrelated to marketing your business, consider what you could be doing towards your work-life goals.
Find "Me Time"
Schedule time for just you. We tend to make time for our family, business and even social gatherings. But you need to have time to for you. You are no good to others if you are always flustered and burned out from all those other activities.
Just recently, I did something so out of character. I turned off my cell phone and laptop for a whole weekend. Crazy? Maybe not for you, but for me that was a major move. But I felt it necessary and the benefits were amazing. I was able to relax and catch up on some reading. It allowed me to clear my head and gave room to inspiration. If you are looking to be inspired, sometimes you have to quite everything else down for inspiration to come. I was also able to enjoy my family time as a result of taking care of me first.
I hope these tidbits help! We may never have it all together. But this is a start in the right direction.
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