Work Life Balance
Work Life Balance
We often talk about balance as if it's a concrete object or a well-defined state of being. We wonder whether we're "in balance," much as a woman might wonder whether she's pregnant, expecting a clear yes or no answer. But that view is limited, limiting, and essentially unhelpful.
Balance is better understood as flow. For instance, I'm building my business right now. It's been my full-time occupation for about six months, and I've spent a disproportionate amount of time during that six months on my business. Since I've made the choice to pass up a variety of recreational activities -- everything from going to the movies to taking a spa vacation with a friend -- it would be easy to conclude that I'm "out of balance."
As I look at it, though, I'm working to create something. That takes a lot of time, effort, and energy. But once it's created and sustainable, I'll be able to refocus some of my energy elsewhere. There's a tipping point that divides creation from existence; Newton's First Law tells us that objects in motion tend to stay in motion; and so once I am satisfied that my business is ticking along on its own, I'll be able to shift the creative energy from that endeavor to something else -- getting some recreation so I'll be refreshed and ready to create something new. I've identified that point, so I know what I'm looking for, and when I reach it, I know I'll spend time putting my life back into a state of balance by spending a disproportionate amount of time on rest and relaxation. For me, in these circumstances, balance means a period of (relatively) short-term extreme productivity, sustained by adequate self-care and followed by a period of replenishment.
I advocate using an Absolute Yes list to ensure balance. List your top 3-5 priorities for whatever amount of time you choose. I like to copy the list and put in places where I'll see it frequently: in my calendar, taped to my visor in my car, in a desk drawer, etc. The list serves two functions.
First, when a decision comes up, if the activity I'm considering doesn't serve one of my Absolute Yes items, that means it's almost certainly a NO, and I'll pass. And second, the list reminds me to pay some attention to each priority. If I've gone too long -- a few days, a week -- without touching on one of my listed priorities, I make a special effort to include something related to that priority in my schedule.
With this system, balance is measured over the space of days and weeks, not in 24-hour blocks. It also recognizes that a particular work-related item is the top priority may take the lion's share of time for a while. Although I'd love to suggest that we should all balance our work/family/self-care responsibilities each and every day, that's just a recipe for frustration for most professionals.
Take the long-term view instead.
Work Life Balance - To learn more about this author, visit Julie Fleming-Brown's Website.
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These days, many of us spend our days being stressed about meeting our career and personal responsibilities, and we feel guilty on top of that stress because we're out of "balance." Easy to understand, since we're told to seek work/life balance. But, how is balance measured? More specifically, what does work/life balance really mean?
We often talk about balance as if it's a concrete object or a well-defined state of being. We wonder whether we're "in balance," much as a woman might wonder whether she's pregnant, expecting a clear yes or no answer. But that view is limited, limiting, and essentially unhelpful.
Balance is better understood as flow. For instance, I'm building my business right now. It's been my full-time occupation for about six months, and I've spent a disproportionate amount of time during that six months on my business. Since I've made the choice to pass up a variety of recreational activities -- everything from going to the movies to taking a spa vacation with a friend -- it would be easy to conclude that I'm "out of balance."
As I look at it, though, I'm working to create something. That takes a lot of time, effort, and energy. But once it's created and sustainable, I'll be able to refocus some of my energy elsewhere. There's a tipping point that divides creation from existence; Newton's First Law tells us that objects in motion tend to stay in motion; and so once I am satisfied that my business is ticking along on its own, I'll be able to shift the creative energy from that endeavor to something else -- getting some recreation so I'll be refreshed and ready to create something new. I've identified that point, so I know what I'm looking for, and when I reach it, I know I'll spend time putting my life back into a state of balance by spending a disproportionate amount of time on rest and relaxation. For me, in these circumstances, balance means a period of (relatively) short-term extreme productivity, sustained by adequate self-care and followed by a period of replenishment.
I advocate using an Absolute Yes list to ensure balance. List your top 3-5 priorities for whatever amount of time you choose. I like to copy the list and put in places where I'll see it frequently: in my calendar, taped to my visor in my car, in a desk drawer, etc. The list serves two functions.
First, when a decision comes up, if the activity I'm considering doesn't serve one of my Absolute Yes items, that means it's almost certainly a NO, and I'll pass. And second, the list reminds me to pay some attention to each priority. If I've gone too long -- a few days, a week -- without touching on one of my listed priorities, I make a special effort to include something related to that priority in my schedule.
With this system, balance is measured over the space of days and weeks, not in 24-hour blocks. It also recognizes that a particular work-related item is the top priority may take the lion's share of time for a while. Although I'd love to suggest that we should all balance our work/family/self-care responsibilities each and every day, that's just a recipe for frustration for most professionals.
Take the long-term view instead.
Work Life Balance - To learn more about this author, visit Julie Fleming-Brown's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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