Work-life balance: A Matter of Priorities

Many people these days feel the increasing pressure their careers are placing on their personal and family lives. Creating a balance between the two has become a difficult feat that most can’t achieve. It seems that either people put their careers ahead of personal life in order to secure their family’s future or they sacrifice career advancement in order to enjoy the pleasures of family life. The good news however is that creating a successful balance shouldn’t be a matter of sacrificing one life for the other, but rather a matter of setting the right priorities

Global Working Environment: A Challenge

Today’s employees face a bigger challenge than workers faced 20 or 30 years ago where employees showed up for work, did their job for eight to nine hours and then went home with no strings attached. The boundaries between work and home were clear. Nowadays, however, the boundaries between work and life are very blurred. This is mainly due to:

1- Improvements in communication technology
People now have the ability to work anywhere — from their home, from their car and even on vacation. Some managers even expect that. 
2- Globalization of business
Work continues around the world 24 hours a day for some people. If you work in a global organization, you might be on call 24 hours a day for troubleshooting or consulting. 
3- Longer hours 
It's not unusual for an employer to ask staff members to work longer hours. In many cases, if you aim for career advancement, you may find yourself working more than 40 hours a week on a regular basis to keep on top of things or exceed expectations. 
4- Changes in family roles 
Today's married worker is typically part of a dual-career couple, which makes it difficult to find time to meet commitments to home, spouse, parents and friends. 

Set Your Own Boundaries

In order to set your priorities correctly it is important to know how to set tough and clear boundaries between work and personal life.

Setting boundaries between your time at work and at home and trying not to combine the two can prove to be challenging. However, by staying emotionally and mentally present when at work and at home, you will enhance our effectiveness at managing the tasks at hand. Being completely present for each situation and not allowing your mind to be at work while your body is at home (or vice versa), allows you to focus, be more productive and feel good about doing the best you can with the finite amount of time available.

Overtime: An Option or a Requirement?

It's tempting to work overtime if you're an hourly employee. By doing so, you can earn extra. Some people need to work overtime to stay on top of family finances.
If you're on salary, working extra hours may not bring you extra cash, but it can help you keep up with your workload. Being willing to arrive early and stay late every day may also help you climb the corporate ladder.
However, if your company doesn't require overtime, take a few minutes to think it over before you agree to work more than a 40-hour week. Overtime isn’t always favorable. It affects:

- Your health: Your ability to think and your eye-hand coordination decrease when you're tired. This means you are less productive and may make mistakes. 
- Your Family: You may miss out on important events. Missing out on important milestones may harm relationships with your loved ones. 
- Your Friends: Trusted friends are a key part of your support system. But if you're spending time at the office instead of with them, you'll find it difficult to nurture those friendships. 

Sometimes working overtime is important. It's a choice you can make to adjust to a new job or new boss or to pay your bills but it should still be done moderately. Most importantly, say no when you're too tired or when you have crucial family obligations.

Achieving the Best Balance

It isn't easy to juggle the demands of career and personal life. For most people, it's an ongoing challenge. Here are some options to help you find the balance that's best for you and your unique situation.

Keep a log.  Track everything you do for one week. Include work-related and non-work-related activities. After you see your patterns, decide where to make adjustments. Cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy, you don't have time for or you do only out of guilt. If you don't have the authority to make these decisions, talk to your supervisor. 

Manage your time. Organize household tasks efficiently. Doing one or two loads of laundry every day rather than saving it all up for your day off, and running errands in batches rather than going back and forth several times from your home are good places to begin. A weekly family calendar of important dates will help you avoid deadline panic. Find out if your employer offers a course in time management. If possible, sign up for it. 

Don't procrastinate. Your deadline may be days, weeks, or months away, but putting off working on a project until the last minute not only allows stress to build, it also results in you wasting time worrying about the project rather than taking productive steps to complete it. 

Limit interruptions.  Don't be a slave to your e-mail or to phone calls, and limit interruptions from coworkers. Unless you are in a support position and have to respond quickly to external and internal customer inquiries, try to avoid having e-mail and phone calls interrupt your work rhythm. Tell yourself you'll check e-mail and phone messages when you've completed a portion of your work, and stick to it. Try to manage your day, instead of having the day manage you. Your objective is to maximize your productivity at work and not let unfinished business carry over into your personal time.

Be organized.  Clean up your office and home. The clutter of your surroundings leads to a cluttered mind, which makes it impossible to focus. However, an unmade bed won't alter the course of your life. Do what needs to be done and let the rest go. 

Communicate clearly. Eliminate time-consuming misunderstandings by communicating clearly and listening carefully. 

Nurture yourself.  You can't have a job, family and friends without nurturing yourself. So try to set aside some time each day for an activity you enjoy, such as reading, working out or listening to music. Decompress after a hectic workday by taking a walk or going to the gym 

Protect your day off.  Try to schedule some of your routine chores on workdays so that your days off are more relaxing. 

Get enough sleep.  There's nothing as stressful and potentially dangerous as working when you're sleep-deprived. Not only is your productivity affected, but you can also make costly mistakes. You may then have to work even more hours to make up for these mistakes. 

Make lists.  The end of a workday is an excellent time to make a list for the following day. If something is on your mind, adding it to the list to be tackled the next day can help you release the issue as you make the transition from work to home. 

Improve your skills  as necessary to enhance your productivity and reduce your stress. For example, if you work with a computer or other machinery and haven't mastered the software or learned to operate the equipment properly, get the necessary training. 

Be flexible. Change is imminent. Those who accept and embrace change and work willingly within the new parameters are the most productive, best-adjusted individuals. 

Be forgiving, especially of yourself.  You are human. You will make mistakes and fall short of the ideal, including your own. Don't wallow in guilt. Learn from your mistakes. 

Set boundaries and learn to say no.  Being a good employee, spouse, parent, and friend doesn't mean blindly acquiescing to everyone else's demands and spending all your time and energy doing for others as they dictate. Think about the common objectives and your own needs, and find ways to make things happen that benefit everyone, including you. For example, work with a team to complete a project rather than handling everything yourself. Try delegating. Don't always assume that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Have a little faith in your coworker or family member.

Take time for yourself.  This can be so difficult for responsible people. You simply have to take care of work or family obligations and have no time left for you. Make time. Start out by taking 10 or 15 minutes to do nothing or anything you like. When you find that the world doesn't come to an end, increase that time. You'll begin to enjoy life more, and those around you will find you a more pleasant person.

Sources:
www.mayoclinic.com
www.indiana.edu
www.thefabricator.com