First Tip to Getting a Life...Balanced

Your First Tip to Get a Life...Balanced!

Did you know January is Life Balance month?

It's THE hot topic at conferences, on television, radio and in newspapers.  How can you stay committed to work and yet dedicated to your family?

People are your organization's greatest assets and they are begging for help in balancing their lives.  When surveying 550 employees from different industries and different positions, the question was asked "Which would you prefer, an extra day of work at time and a half; or a day off with no pay"? Ninety two percent replied they'd rather have the day off!  Today TIME is more valuable than money!

 The American worker is working 30 days more a year than they were just 3 years ago.  With downsizing, right-sizing, mergers and technology, we are asked to do more and more and the line dividing work and life is quickly thinning.  Is life balance even possible? 

 As a working mother of 5, grandmother of 8, and part-time caregiver to an invalid mother, I can tell you YES it is possible.

Here are a few tips that I recommend you get started with today!

 Tip ONE.  Change your mindset, change your mouth! We say stupid things today like "I'm going to start an exercise program as soon as I can find some spare time."  "I want to reconnect with my friends as soon as I can find some free time". So the first thing is to recognize that Time=Money.  I have several "touchstones" in my office that remind me visually of what I know in my heart, but with the rush of the day- to-day business, I forget.

One says "INVEST don't spend your time". 

If we looked at our time as if it were money, I guarantee that we'd make better choices as far as where and on whom we spent it.  Once you see your time as money you'll delete words like "free and spare" and understand we all were created equal in our time allotments.  We all have the same 24-7.  So if David gets more done in his day than Diane, it's not that he's been given an unnatural advantage, but rather he chooses to manage his time more effectively.

This has been a big help on the home front also.  Now when my son says he doesn't have time to make his bed, he quickly realizes he chose not to delegate time to make his bed.  That realization came when we brought our an eggtimer in to see that it takes less than the time to boil a soft boiled egg to have a bed that is welcoming at the end of the day. Now that task is added to his list and completed, first thing in the morning.

To manage your time effectively, do you use (not just own) a Time Management Tool?

 I believe EVERY employee should be given such a tool by their boss/coach and also given the course to learn how to use it. 

Why not? We don't expect painters, landscapers, or housekeepers to do work without proper tools.  How can we put people in positions to manage projects, duties, and other people but give them no time management tool to manage themselves?   

Today it can be electronic or in book form but one rule is that you need only one. 

I had a woman in one of my audiences in Pennsylvania who told me she kept 4-day timers.  "Four?" I asked.  Her reply, "Yes, one for my kids' schedule, one for my husbands', one for me and one for us as a family."  Was she saving time? No, she was quadrupling it having to write and keep track of those four books.  I don't care what format you use (technology or paper) but again, you can only have one.

Even my 9-year-old has a time management book for homework, gym time, parties, and such.  The biggest mistake professionals make is only writing down their 8-5 time frame. We are whole people with 24 hours to contend with. Dry cleaning, doctor's appointments, and Little League practice takes time out of your day.  When you feel "I got nothin' done today", with a time management tool, you'll be able to look back on your day and see quickly where that time was spent.

Research has shown that when you can check off (physically) a job that has been put on your "to do" list, endorphins are released that cause a sensation of pleasure.  This would be a great thing to add to every day. 

We'll focus on Tip Two next time.  But here I'll give you a hint.  Remember when you have friends?  Tip Two will allow you to put friends back into your life, afterall a lot of us spend more time with people we don't really like than we do with the people we love and value.  So check back with us.  P.S.  If you'd like a bookmark with all ten tips on how to get a life, contact us.