When
Are You Coming Home?
Five Practical Tips To Realizing
Work/Life Balance
So
let's talk about over-used terms for a minute.
If you've been in the business world since the mid 1990s you've
likely heard your management espouse the desire for employees to
achieve greater work/life balance. Many U.S. companies have adopted
programs to help employees strike a better life balance by providing
health club benefits, entertainment discount programs, and
additional time off for events such as the birth of a child. Despite
all this, Americans are of the most overworked and flat-out busy
people on earth, recently surpassing the Japanese and long
surpassing the Europeans. With all this discussion of work/life
balance, how can we in the U.S. also be of the most overworked
people in the world? The answer is pretty simple; many of us
talk work/life balance, but don't live work/life balance primarily
because we don't know how to do it.
First let's get clear on the primary purpose of achieving
work/life balance. It's about minimizing stress in your life.
Much of the stress in a typical person's life is derived from
work. Stress also comes from non-work activities as well. You
can say you've got work/life balance, but in addition to working
full-time, you might participate in many activities with the kids,
volunteer at the local homeless shelter, and exercise five days a
week. If you're feeling stressed and tired you haven't achieved the
primary intent of work/life balance, which is to reduce stress. All
you have done is balanced the degree of stress you have in your work
life with the stress you have in your non-work life. But at least
the stress is balanced J.
To realize a practical work/life balance, consider the following
tips:
Consciously (and honestly) decide what is really important -
Saying that work/life balance is important is one thing; truly
meaning it is a different game altogether. You may want to
believe you place other things above work, but wanting to
believe it simply doesn't mean it's so. Make a conscious,
realistic declaration on where your priorities lie, then examine
your behaviors or ask a friend, relative, significant other, or
spouse. Taking the first step toward the quest for work/life balance
means eliminating the gap between what you desire and what you do.
Make your calendar a life thing, not just a work thing -
Integrate important personal activities into your calendar.
Examples of things to schedule include exercise, being home at a
specific time for dinner, and kids' activities. Also include
items such as important meetings that your spouse or significant
other needs to attend which require you to be at home with the kids
or to take junior to the dentist.
Measure success in results, not hours - Those who measure
success based on hours worked will prioritize hours over results and
tend to be less motivated to figure out how to get more work done in
less time. Those who measure success based on results are more
likely to figure out better ways to do things, prioritize their
work, and get home in time for dinner. Don't use the clock as your
gauge of success; use the results you deliver as your success
yardstick.
Don't succumb to peer pressure - From our earliest years, we are
exposed to peer pressure. The "I dare you's" from our youth become
"Who's got a bigger house" or "Who drives a nicer car" as adults.
Look, just because a peer works 18 hours a day doesn't mean he or
she gets more done or is more effective. It just means that your
peer chooses to run the hours race because he or she feels it is the
best means to get ahead. Don't let your peers' actions pressure you
to run the wrong race. Just stay focused on providing meaningful
results that provide value to the organization.
Don't take on too much "life" in work/life balance - Achieving
work/life balance doesn't mean you cram more and more stuff into the
life side of the equation to balance out a high-octane work life.
Achieving good work/life balance means doing both in moderation and
minimizing the stress in your life. You could be working a 40-hour
work week and still be stressed out because of the non-work
activities you've committed to. Doing too much life can be just as
stressful to you and your loved ones as doing too much work. Don't
feel obligated or pressured to fill up every hour of your week with
life activities. Doing both in moderation helps you attain the key
benefit of work/life balance; a low-stress life.
Realizing the quest for work/life balance means first doing some
serious soul searching and coming to grips with your true life
priorities. If you acknowledge you are a workaholic and don't want
to change, then by all means work 18-hour days. If you do want to
change, though, you need to accept the challenge head-on and get on
the road to a more balanced lifestyle. You may be surprised at how
your quality of life increases and how little it truly impacts your
career aspirations.
By Lonnie Pacelli has over 20 years' experience with Accenture and
Microsoft and is currently president of Leading on the Edge™
International. Lonnie's books include "The Project Management
Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups and How to Cut Them Off at the
Pass" and "The Truth About Getting Your Point Across". Get the
books, leadership products and a free email mini seminar at
http://www.leadingonedge.com.
