Work - Life Balance
Here are my top 10 tips to help you achieve a better balance in your life. Take a moment to read and reflect on these tips -- and then get your life in balance!
- Negotiate
a Change with Your Current Employer. Progressive
employers recognise the value of good employees, and many are willing to
find ways to help current employees deal with short-term or permanent
changes caused by family situations. The changes can include flexi-time,
job-sharing, working from home, or part-time employment. Your first step is
to research your employer’s policies and methods of handling previous
requests. Then go to your boss armed with information and a plan that
shows how you will be an even more valuable and productive employee if you
can modify your current work situation
- Find a
New Career. Some careers are simply more stressful and
time-consuming than others. If you need more time for yourself or your
family, now may be the time to explore careers that are less stressful and
more flexible.
- Find a
New Job. Rather than a career change, perhaps you simply need
to take a less stressful job within your chosen career. This change may
involve working with your current employer to identify a new position, it
may involve a full job-search, or it may involve temping or becoming a consultant
or starting a freelancing or other home-based business.
- Slow
Down.
Life is simply too short, so don’t let things pass you in a haze. Take
steps to stop and enjoy the things and people around you. Schedule more
time between meetings; don’t make plans for every evening or weekend, and
find some ways to distance yourself from the things that are causing you
the most stress.
- Learn
to Better Manage Your Time. Avoid Procrastination. For
many people, most of the stress they feel comes from simply being disorganised
-- and procrastinating. Learn to set more realistic goals and deadlines --
and then stick to them. You’ll find that not only are you less stressed,
but your work will be better.
- Share
the Load. Even though we may sometimes feel we’re the only ones
capable of doing something, it’s usually not the case. Get your partner or
other family members to help you with all your personal/family
responsibilities. Taking care of the household, children, or parents
should not be the responsibility of just one person.
- Let
Things Go. (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.) It is easier said than done, but learn to let things go once in a while. So what if the
dishes don’t washed everyday or that the house doesn’t get vacuumed every
week. Learn to recognise the things that don’t really have much impact in
your life and allow yourself to let them go -- and then not beat yourself
up for doing so.
- Explore
Your Options. Get Help. If you are feeling overwhelmed with your
family responsibilities, please get help if you can afford it. Find a
sitter for your children, explore options for aging parents, and seek
coaching or counselling for yourself. In many cases, you have options, but
you need to take the time to find them.
- Take
Charge. Set Priorities. Sometimes it’s easier for us to allow
ourselves to feel overwhelmed rather than taking charge and developing a
prioritised list of things that need to get done. You need to buck the
trend. Develop a list. Set priorities. And then enjoy the satisfaction of
crossing things off your list.
- Simplify. It
seems human nature for just about everyone to take on too many tasks and
responsibilities, to try to do too much, and to own too much. Find a way
to simplify your life. Change your lifestyle. Learn to say no to requests
for help. Get rid of the clutter and baggage in your house -- and your
life.
In the end, the key word is balance. You need to find the right balance that works for you. Celebrate your successes and don’t dwell on your failures. Life is a process, and so is striving for balance in your life
Contact me here greg@screentest.ie
