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Summertime is drawing near with days getting longer, temps hotter, and pools opening all around. Being stuck in the office late evenings because of your job can be demoralizing, thus the reason why now it's very important to stop, consider your current work-life balance situation, and determine how you can prioritize the key facets of your life so you too can join in on those extra hours of sun whether to join the family @ the pool, to take that run through the park that you have been putting off, or to grill out with some friends.
I did some reseach using Twitter (yes Twitter is more than posting what you are doing in 140 characters or less) on work-life balance and found some great posts and confirmed insight into what I think everyone needs to do to reclaim some time to enjoy the Summer ahead! It's a 4 step process.
4 Steps to Re-evaluate your Work-Life Balance
The following 4 steps can be followed to get anyone back on track to accomplishing their priorities @ work and @ life:
Step 1 - Identify where you are spending your time - The first step is stopping to reflect on what you have been doing and where your time is going. It may be difficult to pull from memory more than a few weeks back, so rely on your calendars @ work and @ home, confirm with your Spouse or significant other what it was you did the weekend before last, and consider the entire day (not just the time spent while awake). If you search Google for Work Life Balance Calculator, you can find many references to get well on your way with Step 1.
Step 2 - Determine / Set your priorities - One needs to consider their priorities in life to be able to achieve a strong balance. Priorities should cover every interaction around you, for example, family, kids, hobbies, sports, career, etc. I'm an avid follower of Getting Things Done by David Allen and he references putting your priorities into the analogy of the Runway (current actions) up to the 50,000+ feet level (life interactions). The key point here is when thinking of your priorities, don't just consider today or tomorrow, but one, two, three+ years what you want to achieve in life when working on step 2. I also recommend that it is very helpful to revisit this step monthly to keep things in perspective and not let your life get out of control.
Step 3 - Reclaim some time - After completing steps 1 and 2, you should have an idea on how well the 2 lists correlate. Hopefully you see more connections than gaps, but hey, that is why the term 'work life balance' exists. If everyone did it well, you wouldn't need coaches or advisors or people writing about this stuff. The message and importance of this step is to stop any activities that are unnecessary, that don't align with your priorities. Simply put, reclaim some time and start focusing on the priorities you identified in step 2.
Step 4 - Plan the Fun - The final step is to plan the fun. Ok, work will still be work and whether you find that fun or how to make that time more enjoyable is another post. What I'm referencing here is to not let work overtake you. Plan that weekend getaway or week trip to the beach. Do something away from work and use the vacation time you've earned with your company. I read a post that said that employers who feel they have some sense of work life balance work 21% harder than those who don't! So believe me, it is the best interest of both parties to plan the fun!
I hope you enjoyed this post. As always if you have any comments or feedback, I'd appreciate your responses.
Jason
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