Work/Life Balance

While the usual interpretation of this is too much work and not enough life, it can be the reverse: not enough to occupy ourselves leading to feelings of boredom and frustration.

The term first came into use in 1986 as a way to describe when used negatively, the unhealthy choices that people were making in regard to their emphasis on working life at the expense of other very important areas of their lives, such as family, fun, rest and relaxation and a satisfying social life. It gives rise to the question “Do you work to live or live to work?”

Of course, what may be right for one person might be a stressful situation for another and there are definite unhealthy consequences of getting that balance wrong.

So what drives us to potential burnout when we know it’s bad for us?

Perhaps a major culprit is the very technology that was meant to make our lives easier and release us for more spare time to enjoy ourselves? Hand held devices that mean our customers and colleagues can reach us anywhere at any time, coupled with globalisation bringing the 24 hour working day mean that we are often on call 24 by 7.

How many of you take your handhelds on holiday so that you can read your emails and avoid the inevitable deluge that would otherwise be awaiting your return, so negating the benefit of the holiday?

Getting the balance right is about working through our priorities in life. Work is important for a number of reasons, both financial and emotional, but so are other things if we wish to maintain a healthy perspective on life.

Simple things like learning to delegate, saying “No” more often and perhaps replacing perfectionism with the 80/20 Pareto Principle may help, but establishing clear goals and taking positive steps to achiever them will pay dividends.

Life coaching offers an ideal technique for helping clients regain their perspective, so call me for a chat about how I can help. It may only cost the price of a phone call, but may save your sanity later.