We hear a lot about the term work life balance. I believe it is more complicated than that and decided not to change the title of the article sine it is a common term. Even though I lied to you, I hope you will read on.
What is no lie is that our lives are filled with change and uncertainty. Some things keep us up at night. Some are pain points. Some are work-related. Some are personal. However, there are many factors that impact us and that we must balance.
Work Life Balance
Consider these: healthy lifestyles, personal growth and development, legacy finances, self-awareness & care, family, friends, world around me, workplace culture, and quality of life.
We need balance in many more ways than just work and life. Additionally for me, my core values and faith wrap themselves around all of these.
Take a minute to score yourself on each of these. How would you rate yourself? For example, with healthy lifestyles, are you eating right and getting exercise. Please don’t use the word diet. It is simply eating right. How you eat and exercise impacts the other factors on the list, too. You can achieve a lot more being physically healthy. So, on a scale of 1-10, score yourself.
How is your self-awareness & care? We have all been challenged during this time of change and uncertainty and some people even more than others. Are you aware of your mental health? Are you taking time for yourself? Are you resting? As was the case with physical health and all the others, emotional health impacts our balance. Score yourself and continue to do so with all nine.
Legacy finances is pretty straight forward. Are you paying forward? Do you focus on the latest technology toy or your future or your family’s future? Do you have a financial plan?
Of course, we all need to have a great quality of life. Fun varies greatly in what it means to people. It could be reading a good book on mental health. It could be going for a family bike ride. Maybe for you it is painting. Or how about a nice picnic in your own backyard or a nearby park. Play like you are a child again!
How are you scoring so far? I will talk about what the scores mean at the end.
I would challenge you to repair one family relationship before the end of the month. We all most likely have one that needs some work. Do you believe in unconditional love? To me, that is what family is all about and if that isn’t right, it is very tough to make the others right. We carry baggage with us and need to sort through our family challenges to get balance.
Friends fall right below family, although they can be more important. What about your inner circle? Who are the five people closest to you that have the most impact on you? Are you the smartest person in the room? If so, you need a different room. Surround yourself with people who will elevate you. It might not be your family in some cases. Where do you fall on the 1-10 scale?
The world around us can be our residence, neighborhood, community, region, state, or region in the country or world. Are we where we want and need to be? Are we in a safe, nurturing place?
Are you achieving your goals and dreams in the workplace? Is your workplace culture right? Or are you just checking off the boxes and being “active”? Are you taking advantage of all that your workplace has to offer or are you sitting on the sidelines hoping you will get picked?
Score Yourself!
Finally, score yourself from 1-10 on your personal growth & development. How are you advancing yourself? What are you doing to develop your leadership skills? We are all leaders in some capacity, both in and out of the workplace. When is the last time you read a good self-help book? Leaders are readers! Fill your head with positives!
As you score yourself on each of these, step back and assess where you need work and where you are strongest. Over the next nine weeks (or whatever time you choose), take one per week (or month) and focus your attention on it. Create good habits. Get that balance back in your life. After you complete one, don’t forget about the one you were working on, but add another. Build your strengths and find others to help you with your weaknesses. It will be a tough and rewarding journey.
Getting balance takes effort. You will be amazed at the results!