Many workaholics claim that achieving a true balance between work and personal or family life is impossible. Many others claim the opposite. So, where does the truth lie?

Blurred boundaries

Being successful in today’s demanding and fast paced work environment has turned many an entrepreneur, executive and employee into a workaholic. When the boundaries between work life and family or personal life become blurred, much confusion and unhappiness ensues at home, not to mention impaired productivity and burn-out at work.

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit or integrity. Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, damaged or perhaps even shattered. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life”, warns Brian Dyson, former vice chairman and COO of Coca-Cola.

Eight family and work-life balance tips

  1. Think carefully about your goals in life, your needs and wants and what you want to achieve in life. Now determine the pros and cons, the costs and benefits of your goals and the actions needed to reach those goals. If your work life goals are incompatible with your family life goals or vice versa, you will have a tremendous amount of friction in your life.
  2. Know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, for example whether you do your best work later in the day or early in the morning. Many companies offer flexible starting and closing times and some even have designated spaces where employees can take quick power naps. Make use of all these options to help you stay fresh and focused and to achieve your goals.
  3. Work smarter not harder. Concentrate on ways to accomplish tasks quicker and in the most efficient way possible.
  4. Carefully consider the pros and cons when a promotion comes up. Will it mean more hours spent at work, more travel time away from home and having to relocate to another suburb or alternatively longer travelling times to get to work every day? Ask yourself and also discuss with your family if the additional income is worth the effort.
  5. Manage your time wisely and be proactive about scheduling. Plan work and family activities ahead of time. Also schedule some time for yourself; time to exercise, rest and re-gather your physical, mental and creative strength. Take a leaf out of Mark Zuckerberg’s book. He says: “I spend most of my time thinking about how to connect the world and serve our community better, but a lot of that time isn’t in our office or meeting with people or doing what you’d call real work. I take a lot of time just to read and think about things by myself.”
  6. Win time by outsourcing or delegating. Try to outsource any time-consuming, mind-numbing household chores or errands and learn to delegate similar tasks to trusted colleagues at work.
  7. Minimise the time you spend on activities or with people who sap your time or energy and do not add value to your life or work.
  8. Don’t let work encroach on your weekends. Reserve the weekends for family and friends. Let them know that Friday night to Sunday night is family time.

 

Sources

Balkhi, S. Worn out? The dilemma of finding balance at work and in life. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/syed-balkhi/worn-out-the-dilemma-of-f_b_3750085.html
Quotes about work life balance. Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/work-life-balance
Young, H. Nine thought-provoking quotes about work-life balance. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@salesforce/9-thought-provoking-quotes-about-work-life-balance-64673dea0747#.le0leodre
Zywien, J. 2013. Achieving work-life balance: eleven inspiring quotes from successful entrepreneurs. Retrieved from: http://labs.openviewpartners.com/entrepreneurs-achieving-work-life-balance/