Finding work-life balance

Often when people begin to feel overwhelmed by their lives it is related to their lack of work-life balance.  One of the drawbacks of our increased reliance on technology in our life is that it has changed our work day.  We no longer go to work, finish our daily tasks, and head home to enjoy our personal life.  We are instead available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via mobile phone, computer, skype, etc.  It is not uncommon in this day and age for work to significantly encroach on family vacations and holidays.  The question people often ask themselves (and me) is, how can I create more balance in my life given my current circumstances?  I have two quick and easy suggestions to help restore some of that balance.

A lot of people seem to struggle at the end of a long hard day to transition from work to home.  If a day has been particularly tense, or if they have a problem leftover from the day that they need to deal with later, that tension and stress carries over into their first few hours at home.  They will often stress about work the whole way home from the “office” and find themselves unable to engage with family when they do get home.  This is one of the first things to address.  It is possible to feel more balanced if your personal life creates a feeling of connection and well-being.  If work interferes with this quality time, you never connect with loved ones or activities that make your life feel more enriched.  It is time to begin using your travel home more wisely.  This is the time that you should be transitioning mentally from work mode to home mode.  Use this time to shut out work concerns.  Practice some deep cleansing breathing and switch your thoughts to home.  If you have children or a spouse, this is the time to think about what you know about their days so you are ready to ask questions and engage when you get home.  It is also the time to let go of the stress and tension.  You may want to take the time to do a small short guided meditation (if you are not driving) or, if it was a particularly difficult day, to think about the positive things that happened.  It is important to change your mind set before you arrive home.  If you absolutely must take a work phone call or review something on your way home, take a few minutes before you walk through the door to reset, but, no matter what, make the transition.

The other suggestion I have is the creation of “personal time”.  Force yourself to shut off your electronic devices for a certain period of time every evening.  Leave them in another room so you aren’t even tempted to open up your personal social media or games.  It is important to have periods of time when you are awake that you can disconnect and recharge.  People often make the mistake of keeping their phones beside them or in their hands.  It is much harder to ignore a work request that comes through if you are aware that it is there.  Even if it only takes a few minutes to address, it has broken up your personal time and diminished your quality time.  Plus, being attached to your phone can cause frustration with the significant people in your life.  Nobody wants to feel that they don’t have somebody’s full attention when they are interacting.  You will have fewer arguments with significant members of your life if you give them undivided attention for periods of time every day. 

While these habits may seem hard to implement at first, if you put them into effect regularly they will quickly become habits that I am sure you will enjoy.  Plus taking time to recharge will certainly make you more efficient and effective in every aspect of your life.  You are only a few steps away from creating more balance in your overwhelming life.  Take the first step today.