Achieving Work-Life Balance

Achieving Work-Life Balance in A Busy World

The concept of achieving work-life balance is very personal and subjective as it is determined by so many variables;

• changes in family status
• age
• family commitments
• state of health
• personal events

Factor in the busy and uncertain world we live in. Are we yearning for too much? Is this achievable or just pie in the sky stuff? Achieving work-life balance today is a tough call.

Defining work-life balance is difficult as it differs for everyone. Values and attitudes towards life, are thrown in the mix coupled with factors like the generation they belong to.

Ask a Baby Boomer, Gen X or Millennial what maintaining a healthy work-life balance means to them and you’ll likely get very different answers. The older generations were happy going to work and spending time with the family at home.

Younger generations love the component of eating out at restaurants during the week and socialising with colleagues and friends, to break the week’s monotony.

In the broadest sense, maintaining a healthy work-life means finding ways to work in a stable and sustainable manner, while taking care of one’s health and general well-being. In this case, to prevent burnout and chronic stress too.

Billions of dollars are spent globally, on keeping mental health at work on the radar. Many employees suffer due to the psychological and physical problems created by burn out. So, as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”.

Observing clients over the years and global trends, we don’t need to look far or research statistics to know the effects of not achieving work-life balance.

So, it makes sense that achieving work-life balance should be one of the primary goals of anyone who has to juggle a career and family. As an advocate of self-management, I urge people I meet, to attend a stress management course before it is too late.

Stress has a way of internalising within a person’s being and gripping the person, much like a knotted up rope. An NLP for self-management course would teach many tips and tools, to unknot one’s self. I find clients believing that this is their fate and nothing can be done about it.

John Grinder, the co-founder of NLP once said to someone who believed this, “don’t flatter yourself”. It was a huge moment for me when I heard this statement. The person understood and realised that he was not unique. If someone else was able to change, he could too. I use this line to this day with clients of a similar disposition.

You are not so different or unique that a stress management course would work on everyone else but you. So just register and attend, for achieving work-life balance has been proven to reduce stress and boost satisfaction both at the workplace and home.

More companies are addressing work-life balance issues to help keep employees satisfied. Some companies go the extra mile and tempt their flexible work environment and work-life balance ethics to hire employees.

Whether you’re lucky enough to be in such a company or not, I’d like to share five ways to achieving work-life balance.

1.Evaluate Your Life
Scan every area of your life - career, home, family, community, health, wealth, spirituality and social life. Observe if some areas are more problematic than others. Examine why this is so.

You can do this through the Wheel of Life, which is a simple yet powerful tool that provides the big picture of your life right now. You can easily see areas that are off-balance and quickly gain clarity and direction.

Here is where an NLP for self-management course is invaluable. You will learn amazing tools and techniques, which can be used resourcefully in different areas of your life.

2. Set Boundaries
There are many people in this world who find it hard to say NO. Think about it. How many times have you agreed to do something, that you didn’t have the time and energy for. You could have just said NO.

Setting healthy boundaries related to time is important for achieving work life balance, as taking on more than you can handle, not only stresses you but also throws you off kilter.

Setting boundaries is also related to values. For example, you can be subjected to major stress if you are asked to do something that compromises your integrity and you just can’t say NO.

3. It’s Okay to Seek Help
When you are swamped at the office or have too many commitments at home it’s perfectly ok to reach out for help. Seeking help is a sign of responsibility and maturity. Check out a stress management course to take charge and empower yourself.

Keep colleagues informed of changes or emergencies at home that require your attention and vice versa. Ask your children, spouse, siblings or close friends for support and return the favour when they need it.

4. It’s Not About Perfection
There’s no such thing as the perfect work-life balance. Achieving work-life balance is more likely if you are realistic rather than trying to keep to some rigid schedule. It does not mean dividing your time equally between work and personal life.

Your mental health at work depends on you finding and maintaining an equilibrium that suits your status, your needs and your wants. The question to be answered here is, are you satisfied with what you’re achieving at work and still have the time and energy to enjoy your personal life too.

It is counter-productive to stress about not keeping to a schedule when unexpected events happen at work or home. Achieving work-life balance is not a static goal. Treat it as a state of mind or work in progress.

There may be some periods of downtime at work when you can enjoy more personal time. And of course, there will be times when family has to put up with your absence or personal matters have to be placed on hold, to meet a tight deadline or emergency at work.

5. Self-care is Not Selfish
When you take care of your physical and psychological well-being it boosts your mental health at work and home as well. Contrary to the perception that taking time off for oneself is selfish, it is actually irresponsible not to do so. Think of the consequences of not taking care of yourself.

You suffer physical discomfort and mental anguish, if you fall ill as a result of burnout or chronic stress. Family and colleagues who depend on you would suffer too. It could even have a snowball effect on a whole chain of commitments and people you’re connected to.

Whether you work for an organisation, run your own business or are self-employed, achieving work-life balance should be at the top of your agenda. The cost of neglecting work-life balance is always higher than whatever time, energy or money you invest in maintaining it.

Take matters into your hands and pre-empt your good mental health at work by attending a stress management course or NLP for self-management. These are the types of resources that will accelerate your wellbeing and keep you ahead of the curve.

Sylvia Fernandes is the Founder & CEO of VIA Frontiers. She is a Master Trainer of NLP who is specialised in corporate applications. She started her business in Sydney in 2002 and has been operating in the Asia Pacific Region ever since. She is currently based in Singapore. She is also the author of Bye Bye Black Cat -- Turn Your Luck Around and Realise Opportunities. Visit VIA Frontiers for more information.