Entry #8 Establishing A Work/Life Balance

 

In today’s world there is a big emphasis to achieve more, do better and make more money. With all of these grandiose goals brings priority dilemmas. Sorting through and defining one’s personal and professional priorities brings stress and lots of it. Having a strong and robust work/life balance can help. Some things to take into consideration when setting priorities would include, in no particular order, your significant other and what their goals are, both professionally and personally. This is where good communication and a solid foundation of trust and respect will go a long ways. As strongly as one might feel towards something they want, their partner might feel just as strong in their opposition.

Happiness is far more important than money. I know it’s easy to say and not so easy to walk that walk. This idea isn’t new and this isn’t a new concept for anyone, but really striving to value time more than money will slow life down and help people notice the little joys in life. Even at work, find something that brings a smile and pay it forward by making someone else smile or laugh, it feels good.

Know when to take a break. So many people go go go all day long and fail to recognize the signs of too much stress. Becoming more in tune with one’s body can help someone notice when their heart is racing or to feel their blood pressure raising. They will also be able notice when they get short with a coworker or family member. That is a critical time to take a step back from whatever it is, if safe to do so, and take a quick break. Think about or do something that brings joy and serenity back. This will help to reset the stress level.

Every job/career should have professional development associated with it. Know what that is so that if promotions become a priority, employees will know what the necessary steps are to achieve it. Along those lines. Don’t take work home with you (unless you work from home). This is becoming the biggest issue for a lot of the western population. With the development of technology, more and more people have work emails that notify their personal phone as soon as a new one comes in. This should be switched off at 1700 or whenever the workday ends for employees. Likewise, if colleagues are friends outside of work, they should refrain from talking about work when together outside of work hours. This will help leave work at work.

The last important key to a balanced work/personal life is to have a hobby. Something that is not in the same field as ones work. So many people are defined by what they do for a living and that goes against self happiness most of the time. It’s ok to love work, but having a separate identity outside of work will help throughout their career and especially in retirement, when work can no longer define who they are as a person.