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People have debated the concept of "life balance" for decades, and it means something different to everyone.
One person might think he's achieved balance when he can leave work early enough to eat dinner with his
family. Someone else might view it as having a flexible schedule, so that she can study for a part-time graduate
degree. Yet another person might feel fulfilled by spending her "free" time advancing her career.
In short, you achieve life balance when you have enough time to pursue both work and personal interests that
you love. However, when you feel as if one side of your life is using up too much of your energy, you can
become stressed, your productivity can fall, and your personal relationships can become strained.
In this article, we'll look at life balance, and how you can find one that works for you.
Effects
Research shows that, when we don't feel in control of our time, illness and burnout can quickly follow. For
example, this study shows that a failure to achieve life balance leads to higher stress and absenteeism, and
lower productivity at work.Another found that poor balance is a major cause of job dissatisfaction.
It's well known that working long hours can increase stress and anxiety, which can have a number of serious
effects on our health. These include:
Frequent headaches.
Persistent insomnia.
When you think you're spending too much of your time and energy on one area of your life at the expense of
another, you can also feel guilt, regret and frustration. This can have a negative impact on your personal
relationships and self-esteem.
1. Conduct an Audit
Start by keeping a daily Activity Log ; this will help you track how you use your time at work and at home.
You could be surprised by how you spend your time, for example you may find that you're taking longer than
you expected on certain tasks, dealing with minor issues, or in unproductive meetings. If you limit these
activities, you may find more time in your day for other things.
The same is true in your personal life: you might watch far more TV than you think. By reducing your television
time, you could free up your schedule to include activities that you find more rewarding.
Once you've completed your Activity Log, use this information to determine how valuable these activities are to
you. Apply the Action Priority Matrix to your personal and work lives to take stock of what's important to
you.
Start by using the matrix to list the activities in your personal life. Identify the commitments that are vitally
important, and that you have time for, as well as the ones that aren't. Be specific here. How much does it
matter to you that you're home by 5:30pm to be with your children? Do you still want to spend every Thursday
volunteering at that charity? Look at your log and add the most important activities to the matrix.
Next, look at your professional commitments. What non-negotiable needs, activities and goals are there in your
work life? For example, you might have a conference call every Monday evening that you can't miss, or a
monthly presentation to the executive board that requires eight hours of preparation.
Once you've added this list of "must-haves" to the matrix, write down the activities that are less important, but
still necessary. Your goal is to identify gaps between key tasks and those that you can potentially delegate ,
outsource or stop doing. This will help you prioritize the activities in your life. For example, you might attend a
weekly staff meeting, which lasts almost two hours but adds little value to your work. You could cut this out by
asking a colleague to take notes on your behalf.
3. Add Flexibility
Flexibility is an important part of maintaining a good work-life balance. One studyshows that people who
believe they have flexible jobs look more favorably on their work-life balance than those with the same
workload but with no perceived flexibility. It also found that team members who think their jobs are flexible do
longer hours before their workload has a negative effect on them.
Another study came to similar conclusions: you're more likely to stay and feel satisfaction in your job if you
have access to flexible working arrangements.
Ask your boss to allow more flexibility in your schedule. Perhaps you could work from home one day a week,
come in and leave earlier, or have some flexibility with your hours. Job sharing, when two people split the
responsibilities of one role, is another popular option.
Key Points
Work-life balance refers to your belief that your personal and work lives are properly balanced. It
means spending enough time achieving your goals and devoting time to the people and
activities you love.
To bring more balance in your life, audit how you spend your time. Identify and eliminate lowvalue tasks whenever possible, and try to focus more effort on activities that you believe make a
difference. Try to add flexibility to your schedule, and find purpose and fulfillment in your work.