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Monday, August 30, 2010

Work and Life: A Fine Balance

Eisha Sarkar
Posted on Hello Wellness on Aug 30 2010 5:30PM

You hear a door shut but you're too busy to even look up. Your boss strides up the aisle swinging his laptop bag. He asks you if you'll be at it long. He can wait. You shake your head. He bids you goodbye and leaves the office. You check your email again. This is not the first time you're sitting in late at work. In fact, you don't even remember when you last left office before 10 pm. Sounds familiar?


In the past 20 years, there has been a substantial increase in work thanks to information technology and an intense, competitive work environment. Long-term loyalty has been eroded by a performance culture that expects more and more from their employees yet offers little security in return. As a result, employees buckle under stress, suffer huge disappointments over trivial misunderstandings and simply burn out.

This is where maintaining balance between work and life becomes essential. Work-life balance, first used in the late 1970s, means proper prioritising between "work" (career and ambition) on one hand and "life" (pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other.

Poor work-life balance can make you:
  • Tired: Your fatigued mind can't think clearly and may make costly mistakes
  • Lose time with friends and loved ones: If you're working too much, you may miss important anniversaries, birthdays and weddings. This can leave you feeling left out and may harm relationships with your loved ones. It's also difficult to nurture friendships if you're always working.
  • Keep living up to expectations: If you regularly work extra hours, you may be given more responsibility. This may lead to only more concerns and challenges.

Strike a better work-life balanceAs long as you're working, juggling the demands of career and personal life will probably be an ongoing challenge. Still, you can try to maintain equilibrium between family and fellowship by:
  • Tracking your time: Keep a tab on everything you do for one week, including work-related and personal activities. Decide what's necessary and what satisfies you the most. Cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy or can't handle
  • Use your options: Ask your employer about flexible hours, job-sharing, telecommuting, etc. The more control you have over your hours, the less stressed you're likely to be
  • Saying, “No”: Whether it's a colleague asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child's teacher asking you to manage the class play, remember that it's OK to politely decline. Quit doing the things you do only out of guilt or a false sense of obligation and make more room for the activities that are meaningful to you and bring you joy
  • Not talking work at home: With the technology to connect to anyone at any time from virtually anywhere, there may be no boundary between work and home — unless you create it. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. When you're with your family, for instance, turn off your cell phone and put away your laptop
  • Managing your time: Put family events on a calendar and keep a daily to-do list. Do what needs to be done and let the rest go. Limit time-consuming misunderstandings by communicating clearly and listening carefully
  • Bolstering support: At work, join forces with colleagues who can cover for you when family conflicts arise. At home, enlist trusted friends and loved ones to pitch in with child care or household responsibilities when you need to work overtime or travel
  • Nurturing yourself: Eat healthy foods, exercise and get enough sleep. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as practicing yoga or reading. Discover activities and hobby classes you can do with your partner, family or friends

Though finding a new career or even a new job may not be an easy option, try and slow down a bit so that you enjoy things and people around you. Multi-tasking may be the new-age mantra but it does bring in a lot of clutter. Sort through it and keep only what you need, want and can manage. The rest is junk!

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