Work/Life Balance: Tips for Staying Focused and Productive
Work/Life Balance: Tips for Staying Focused and Productive
We sometimes comfort ourselves with the notion that it will get easier as we become more established. Once we’ve landed that corner office or taken our business to the next level. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. Yes, the work demands change. But it is rarely the case that they become less intense or time consuming.
We must be aware that there are significant risks posed by our over-scheduled, chronically demanding, not-enough-hours-in-the-day lives. When life is imbalanced, relationships suffer, work performance deteriorates, and parenting skills go down the tubes. Potential emotional effects include feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, and hopelessness.
What can be done to protect ourselves from burnout in the midst of what sometimes feels like a life run amok? The following tried-and-true techniques can help:
• Prioritize. Not everything is urgent or even necessary. Focus on what’s most important and set other things on the back burner. Some things can be taken off your plate altogether.
• Ask for help. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do it all on your own. Hire help where appropriate. Call upon a friend, family member, or colleague. People are often glad to lend a helping hand. (Wouldn’t you do the same for them?)
• Take a break. In 30 minutes or less, you can de-stress, refocus, and re-energize yourself. Why not read a book, take a walk, or ride your bike? You can play with your pet, listen to music, or flip through a magazine. You can work in your garden or simply take a catnap. When time’s up, get back to work. Your improved effectiveness and productivity will more than make up for the 30 minutes of “down time.”
• Say no! You don’t have to agree to every request that comes your way. Both at work and at home, it’s perfectly appropriate, healthy (and necessary) to set limits on which tasks and activities you will add to your already full schedule.
• Stop trying to be perfect. There’s very little in life that has to be done to the point of perfection. Few people notice the difference between a job well done and a job perfectly done. Do it well and then move on.
The reality is that it will never be easy to balance the demands of work, family, and life itself. Make the most of your time by following the above techniques, and remember to appreciate the good stuff. Find gratification in your work, enjoy your family and friends, take pride in your accomplishments. With the proper balance and perspective, life can be more than simply manageable. It can and should be rewarding, engaging, and at times simply magnificent.
WorkLife Balance Tips for Staying Focused and Productive - To learn more about this author, visit Liz Bywater's Website.
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Twenty four hours. That’s all we get. No amount of wishing, complaining, or creative time management will ever change that. Each day contains only so many hours, each week just so many days. Yet the amount of work we must try to squeeze into those hours can be mind-boggling. Not to mention the family responsibilities, household maintenance, social commitments, and life in general.
We sometimes comfort ourselves with the notion that it will get easier as we become more established. Once we’ve landed that corner office or taken our business to the next level. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. Yes, the work demands change. But it is rarely the case that they become less intense or time consuming.
We must be aware that there are significant risks posed by our over-scheduled, chronically demanding, not-enough-hours-in-the-day lives. When life is imbalanced, relationships suffer, work performance deteriorates, and parenting skills go down the tubes. Potential emotional effects include feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, and hopelessness.
What can be done to protect ourselves from burnout in the midst of what sometimes feels like a life run amok? The following tried-and-true techniques can help:
• Prioritize. Not everything is urgent or even necessary. Focus on what’s most important and set other things on the back burner. Some things can be taken off your plate altogether.
• Ask for help. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do it all on your own. Hire help where appropriate. Call upon a friend, family member, or colleague. People are often glad to lend a helping hand. (Wouldn’t you do the same for them?)
• Take a break. In 30 minutes or less, you can de-stress, refocus, and re-energize yourself. Why not read a book, take a walk, or ride your bike? You can play with your pet, listen to music, or flip through a magazine. You can work in your garden or simply take a catnap. When time’s up, get back to work. Your improved effectiveness and productivity will more than make up for the 30 minutes of “down time.”
• Say no! You don’t have to agree to every request that comes your way. Both at work and at home, it’s perfectly appropriate, healthy (and necessary) to set limits on which tasks and activities you will add to your already full schedule.
• Stop trying to be perfect. There’s very little in life that has to be done to the point of perfection. Few people notice the difference between a job well done and a job perfectly done. Do it well and then move on.
The reality is that it will never be easy to balance the demands of work, family, and life itself. Make the most of your time by following the above techniques, and remember to appreciate the good stuff. Find gratification in your work, enjoy your family and friends, take pride in your accomplishments. With the proper balance and perspective, life can be more than simply manageable. It can and should be rewarding, engaging, and at times simply magnificent.
WorkLife Balance Tips for Staying Focused and Productive - To learn more about this author, visit Liz Bywater'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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 Liz Bywater (Visit Liz's Website) Dr. Liz Bywater is a highly respected career success coach and corporate consultant. As president of Bywater Consulting Group, she assists her clients through private career consultation, executive coaching and leadership development, career transition coaching, pre-hire assessment, team development, management training, workshop facilitation and keynote speaking. Liz is internationally recognized for her expertise in workplace performance and leadership excellence. As such, she has been interviewed for radio as well as print and online media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, Crain's Business, USA Today, Yahoo! HotJobs and more. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Cornell Entrepreneur Network, and the Society for the Advancement of Consulting. You can follow Liz's Career Success blog here: bywatercareersuccess.blogspot.com. For more information, visit www.bywaterconsultinggroup.com. To sign up for Liz's free e-newsletter, filled with tips for improving individual, team, and organizational performance, send an email to info@bywaterconsultinggroup.com. Or call toll free: 800.846.4546.
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