Work-Life Balance Tips for Busy People - your starting point
Work-Life Balance Tips for Busy People - your starting point
Is this you?
Some years ago, a close friend had an angina attack. He had been married for a few years and they had a young daughter. He was under extreme pressure in his job, long hours were common and he ate ‘on the run’, mostly fast food takeaways. There was little work-life balance in his busy life. He was in his early 30’s and being a father of a young child had an effect. It scared him enough to realise he was not superhuman and he could face serious medical problems if he did not change what he was doing.
‘Karoshi’ kills.
It is too easy to think that our bodies can cope with an unrelenting schedule and balance is unimportant. Our egos like to think we are indestructible. Clearly, we are not. In Japan, they have a word ‘karoshi’ meaning ‘death by overwork’ when workers succumb to long hours, high stress with no let up - and it can kill. In fact around 10,000 Japanese workers a year die from ‘karoshi’. However, it seems it is not the hard work that kills; it is the continuous and relentless pressure without adequate recovery time that poses the danger
Have you thought who would be affected if you do not make changing your work-life balance habits a priority? Do you have young children, a family, people who love and care for you? I do not know anyone who, on their deathbed, would wish for another extra day at the office, over spending time with loved ones. What about you?
Working long hours can put you at risk.
If your job is getting you down, look at your hours: researchers have found the increasing tendency to work back late may be making us sick. Researchers in the US surveyed 11,000 American employees, and found those working overtime were 61 per cent more likely to suffer a work-related injury or illness, compared to those clocking off on time.
Surprisingly, the increased risks were not confined to the more “dangerous” industries. Their results – published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine – indicate that workplace accidents may; be largely due to fatigue and stress caused by long hours at work. Workers were asked to detail their employment history, working hours and sick leave between 1987 and 2000. Of the 110,236 jobs records analyzed, 5139 work-related injuries and illnesses had occurred, with over half affecting those in jobs with extended working hours. In real terms, working at least 12 hours a day increased the risk of injury or illness by 37 per cent.
According to anti-aging expert Prof. Avni Sali of Swinburne University in Melbourne, older Australians, especially those over 40, are in danger of being killed by the stresses of work. ‘Those over 40 have the strongest work ethic’ he said. And he adds that we work the longest hours in the developed world. Other patterns – too much eating, too much continuous stress, too little sleep, too much hostility, too little physical activity – can all lead to higher incidences of illness and even death.
So, what about you? Do you have a big enough reason to change now?
WorkLife Balance Tips for Busy People your starting point - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Lee-Emery's Website.
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Ensure you have a big enough ‘Why’ to change your poor work-life balance habits.
Is this you?
Some years ago, a close friend had an angina attack. He had been married for a few years and they had a young daughter. He was under extreme pressure in his job, long hours were common and he ate ‘on the run’, mostly fast food takeaways. There was little work-life balance in his busy life. He was in his early 30’s and being a father of a young child had an effect. It scared him enough to realise he was not superhuman and he could face serious medical problems if he did not change what he was doing.
‘Karoshi’ kills.
It is too easy to think that our bodies can cope with an unrelenting schedule and balance is unimportant. Our egos like to think we are indestructible. Clearly, we are not. In Japan, they have a word ‘karoshi’ meaning ‘death by overwork’ when workers succumb to long hours, high stress with no let up - and it can kill. In fact around 10,000 Japanese workers a year die from ‘karoshi’. However, it seems it is not the hard work that kills; it is the continuous and relentless pressure without adequate recovery time that poses the danger
Have you thought who would be affected if you do not make changing your work-life balance habits a priority? Do you have young children, a family, people who love and care for you? I do not know anyone who, on their deathbed, would wish for another extra day at the office, over spending time with loved ones. What about you?
Working long hours can put you at risk.
If your job is getting you down, look at your hours: researchers have found the increasing tendency to work back late may be making us sick. Researchers in the US surveyed 11,000 American employees, and found those working overtime were 61 per cent more likely to suffer a work-related injury or illness, compared to those clocking off on time.
Surprisingly, the increased risks were not confined to the more “dangerous” industries. Their results – published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine – indicate that workplace accidents may; be largely due to fatigue and stress caused by long hours at work. Workers were asked to detail their employment history, working hours and sick leave between 1987 and 2000. Of the 110,236 jobs records analyzed, 5139 work-related injuries and illnesses had occurred, with over half affecting those in jobs with extended working hours. In real terms, working at least 12 hours a day increased the risk of injury or illness by 37 per cent.
According to anti-aging expert Prof. Avni Sali of Swinburne University in Melbourne, older Australians, especially those over 40, are in danger of being killed by the stresses of work. ‘Those over 40 have the strongest work ethic’ he said. And he adds that we work the longest hours in the developed world. Other patterns – too much eating, too much continuous stress, too little sleep, too much hostility, too little physical activity – can all lead to higher incidences of illness and even death.
So, what about you? Do you have a big enough reason to change now?
WorkLife Balance Tips for Busy People your starting point - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Lee-Emery'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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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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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan'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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