Balancing Work and Life
Effectively Handling Professional and Personal Demands
How to achieve career success without missing out on life.
It’s a struggle every working professional knows well: how to balance the demands of life with those of your career. All too often one gets consumed with professional activities – making the sale, finishing the report, preparing for the meeting. You get so involved with the everyday demands of achieving your professional goals that you let your personal goals and relationships suffer. It’s easy to say that career must take priority. After all, without work you wouldn’t have the money to provide for yurself and your family - and these are the ultimate personal goals. So you justify the added hours spent at the office by saying it’s for the good of the family. But at what cost? How much do you miss out on when you let work time spill over into your personal time? Anyone who’s fallen victim to this knows the answer. You miss a lot!
You must learn to balance your personal responsibilities, relationships and goals with your professional ones. They must all live in harmony together. Otherwise, you end up resentful. You grow distant from the people you love, feel overwhelmed by the pressure to keep up the pace, and lose sense of what is truly important. In order to maintain the delicate balance between work and life, try the following:
Learn to Set Limits at Work
This is something most career oriented people have a hard time with but eventually, you have to do it. Otherwise, work ends up running your life and you get completely overwhelmed in the process. Setting limits involves learning to respectfully say no, delegating effectively, and setting time restrictions for yourself. Read more in the article entitled, How to Set Limits at Work.
Treat Personal Time” as Seriously as You Treat “Work Time”
When you tell your daughter you’ll be at her soccer game, treat it like any business appointment on your calendar. It’s a commitment that cannot be shrugged off for something “more important”. You wouldn’t dream of missing a meeting with a client so treat your meetings with your family and friends the exact same way. And while you’re at it, schedule a meeting with yourself! If you’re busy with work responsibilities, make an appointment to take yourself out to lunch or go for a walk. Treat the appointment like any other. It’s a commitment that is not to be missed.
Learn to Compartmentalize
You can’t just physically balance the time spent at work and the time spent at home to achieve balance. You must also balance yourself mentally. When you’re spending time with your family, you can’t allow work to distract your attention. Going to your daughter’s soccer game and talking on your cell phone the whole time defeats the purpose of being there. When you’re doing “personal” activities, be present both mentally and physically. Just like when you’re doing “career” activities. Organize your mental space and keep them separate as much as possible. Don’t bring your work troubles home and when you go to work, don’t bring your personal drama with you.
Re-evaluate Your Priorities
Whenever you feel your life getting out of balance, take some time to consider what is most important. It’s easy to get sidetracked with the unimportant things simply because they are there, demanding your time and attention. Learn to recognize what is important and what is just sucking away your time, energy and attention. Set clear personal and professional goals and simplify your life to include only what is important in helping you reach those goals.
Finding the perfect work-life balance is a lifelong journey. It doesn’t happen overnight. It only happens with serious effort and constant attention.
If you liked this article, read Professional Goal Setting and 3 Golden Rules for Multi-Tasking.
