Is Work Life Balance a Myth?
Posted by Sacha Crouch for Health + Wellbeing - Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:01
If you’re a busy person who loves their career and juggles many things at once, you may be thinking this thing called work life balance is all a big fat fairy tale. I can see why you would feel this way because society is so focused around productivity and getting things done that it can seem ridiculous to also expect yourself to have a sense of so-called inner peace.
However, the reason work life balance feels like a myth is that most people carry a misunderstanding about what encompasses work life balance. Work life balance does not necessarily mean working fewer hours, although for some people this is their goal. Different people need different things to live a balanced life for them.
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Gaining work life balance requires asking questions that have the greatest meaning for you such as “is your life filled with the things important to you at a deep level?†“Are you as effective as you can be at work?†“Do you nurture your relationships with loved ones?†“Is your stress under control?†“Do you feel energised and invigorated?†“Do you love your life and feel a genuine sense of happiness and fulfilment?†These are the real questions that make the difference between a life of balance and a life that feels out of control.
Work life balance means having a relationship with your life right now that is a reflection of what is really important to you. It is about having aspirations you work toward in your career as well as a life today that makes you feel happy and alive, honours the important people in your life (including yourself), feeds your soul as well as your wallet and that will keep you on this planet for long time not just a good time.
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If you look at these questions, would you say you are living a balanced life? If not, here are some ideas to help you do something about it.
1. Know what is important to you
It’s imperative if you want to live a life of balance that you step back at regular times and evaluate the way you are filling your life. Don’t wait until your relationships fall apart, health deteriorates or you’re suffering depression—decide what is important to you now and put plans in place to bring more of this into your life.
2. Develop small daily disciplines
In order to have a life of success and balance you must be committed to making it happen and this means a few key disciplines every single day or week, such as spending ½ hr each evening with your partner without thinking about work, meditating for 10mins each morning, or having a two hour “me-time†slot every Saturday. Small steps each day or week compound over time to creating the life you love.
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3. Step up and do the uncomfortable stuff
One of the key reasons we struggle with balance is we fail to do things that would make our lives easier because it feels uncomfortable in the moment, like saying “yes†to doing things when we really want to say “noâ€, avoiding conflict or difficult conversations, failing to ask for what we really want or even healthy habits like exercising that feel hard because we’re not very fit. Tackle those tasks that feel uncomfortable at the moment and they will make your life easier long-term.
4. Let go of worry
Work life balance is not just about what you do or don’t do, it’s also about how you think. If your mind is consumed with worry about work, you can’t switch off at the end of the day or have trouble sleeping at night you know what I mean. Learn to strengthen your mental muscles by setting times of the day where you refuse to allow yourself to think about work, practice meditation or get help from a coach or counsellor to reduce the mental noise.
5. Focus on being present in the now
The secret to both greater productivity and happiness lay in the present moment. Learn to live from the moment, engage with it completely and enjoy everything that you do on the way to your achievements. This is the secret to true joy and a feeling of balance in your life irrespective of what is going on.
6. Stop taking life so seriously!
Bring some fun back in to your life. Get back in touch with things you used to love to do just for the fun of it. Lighten up, get in touch with your inner child, express your creativity or simply make the decision to see life from a more playful spirit.
More health and wellbeing blogs
Living a life of balance alongside an enjoyable career is not a myth! Does this mean it’s easy – heck no! What small things have you done that have worked to make balance a reality? What are you going to do to make it a happen from now on?
Author of De-stress Your Success: Get More of What You Want with Less Time, Stress and Effort, Sacha Crouch is a business, executive and life coach who helps people create the work and lives they love. For other free lifestyle resources visit www.activ8change.com.au and www.de-stressyoursuccess.com
However, the reason work life balance feels like a myth is that most people carry a misunderstanding about what encompasses work life balance. Work life balance does not necessarily mean working fewer hours, although for some people this is their goal. Different people need different things to live a balanced life for them.
Ways to tone up for summer
Gaining work life balance requires asking questions that have the greatest meaning for you such as “is your life filled with the things important to you at a deep level?†“Are you as effective as you can be at work?†“Do you nurture your relationships with loved ones?†“Is your stress under control?†“Do you feel energised and invigorated?†“Do you love your life and feel a genuine sense of happiness and fulfilment?†These are the real questions that make the difference between a life of balance and a life that feels out of control.
Work life balance means having a relationship with your life right now that is a reflection of what is really important to you. It is about having aspirations you work toward in your career as well as a life today that makes you feel happy and alive, honours the important people in your life (including yourself), feeds your soul as well as your wallet and that will keep you on this planet for long time not just a good time.
Why essential oils are essential
If you look at these questions, would you say you are living a balanced life? If not, here are some ideas to help you do something about it.
1. Know what is important to you
It’s imperative if you want to live a life of balance that you step back at regular times and evaluate the way you are filling your life. Don’t wait until your relationships fall apart, health deteriorates or you’re suffering depression—decide what is important to you now and put plans in place to bring more of this into your life.
2. Develop small daily disciplines
In order to have a life of success and balance you must be committed to making it happen and this means a few key disciplines every single day or week, such as spending ½ hr each evening with your partner without thinking about work, meditating for 10mins each morning, or having a two hour “me-time†slot every Saturday. Small steps each day or week compound over time to creating the life you love.
Burn fat the easy way
3. Step up and do the uncomfortable stuff
One of the key reasons we struggle with balance is we fail to do things that would make our lives easier because it feels uncomfortable in the moment, like saying “yes†to doing things when we really want to say “noâ€, avoiding conflict or difficult conversations, failing to ask for what we really want or even healthy habits like exercising that feel hard because we’re not very fit. Tackle those tasks that feel uncomfortable at the moment and they will make your life easier long-term.
4. Let go of worry
Work life balance is not just about what you do or don’t do, it’s also about how you think. If your mind is consumed with worry about work, you can’t switch off at the end of the day or have trouble sleeping at night you know what I mean. Learn to strengthen your mental muscles by setting times of the day where you refuse to allow yourself to think about work, practice meditation or get help from a coach or counsellor to reduce the mental noise.
5. Focus on being present in the now
The secret to both greater productivity and happiness lay in the present moment. Learn to live from the moment, engage with it completely and enjoy everything that you do on the way to your achievements. This is the secret to true joy and a feeling of balance in your life irrespective of what is going on.
6. Stop taking life so seriously!
Bring some fun back in to your life. Get back in touch with things you used to love to do just for the fun of it. Lighten up, get in touch with your inner child, express your creativity or simply make the decision to see life from a more playful spirit.
More health and wellbeing blogs
Living a life of balance alongside an enjoyable career is not a myth! Does this mean it’s easy – heck no! What small things have you done that have worked to make balance a reality? What are you going to do to make it a happen from now on?
Author of De-stress Your Success: Get More of What You Want with Less Time, Stress and Effort, Sacha Crouch is a business, executive and life coach who helps people create the work and lives they love. For other free lifestyle resources visit www.activ8change.com.au and www.de-stressyoursuccess.com
3 Comments
I'm not so sure if I agree. Yes the article relates to priorities of life, but it also gives suggestions for people to put in place each of the six points listed. I think it's actually very useful.
Replythis article is more about "establish priorities in life", appose to - "how to achieve work/life balance". People want to make money, they want to work longer harder, but its physically and mentally challenging. Sustaining the responsibilities held is the heart of it all. The body is a machine, tweak it to perform.
ReplyWork-life balance is about sustaining work for extended periods of time so as not to burn out - the issue is "how to work all the time and keep on doing it". Essentially, observe eating right to sustain nutrition. Exercise regularly to maintain chemical balance, without these 2 commitments - you will burn out. The writer is way off the mark on this.
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