Journaling Jems

Journaling Gems Newsletter Archives
January 2005 Edition
© 2005, Rosemary Augustine

Secrets to Creating Work and Life Balance

Is your work and personal life out of balance? Quality of life does exist...

We often think that creating balance in our life only has to do with working fewer hours, but the true meaning of having work and life balance is really having a certain quality of life.

What is the quality of life you desire? It's longer vacations for some, Fridays off for others, working part time, being self-employed or living in a certain part of the country. Whatever your definition, quality of life questions relate to a bigger picture centered on working and generating income. "How do I create the life I want and work at the same time, generating an income?"

To create work and life balance, it is important to first assess your current life. Identify the things you like and don’t like about your life. Ask yourself, "What are the things that need to change in order to have the balance that I seek?"

Ask yourself - If I could live anywhere, do anything, and money was no object, where would I live and what would I do?" Describe the life you would like in both the ideal and real world. Are you at least close to your real world answer? Here are some other things to consider if you want to succeed in having work and life balance:

STOP working so much

Whatever the number of hours per day you work, start by reducing it today by 30 minutes. By starting with 30 minutes, you won’t feel like something else is being jeopardized because you took a larger block of time.

What do you do with your extra 30 minutes? Take the time for yourself. The trick is to let your mind go and not worry about getting back to work, or making "to do" lists of what needs to be completed. You will find that overall you are much more productive, because you’ve "recharged" your batteries.

TAKE TIME off from life

Get away for a day, a weekend, or a week by yourself to think. But not to think about what you think you should think about. Forget the kids, spouse, dog, bills, and car problems, think about you!

IDENTIFY your values

Know what’s important to you today. Many people work in direct conflict with their values. Others honor the true meaning of living and working within their value system.

DESIGN a plan

What goals did you list that you want to achieve personally and professionally? What do you have to do to achieve such goals? Set up an Action Plan so you know the steps needed in reaching those goals.

Finally, balance doesn’t happen instantly and once you have it, you constantly work at keeping it. However, the most important place to start in getting work and life balance is with you. You have a choice to begin today in taking that extra 30 minutes for yourself.

DEFINE your goals

Identify what you want to do in the next six months or next five years. By identifying what those goals are, you can begin an action plan in order to achieve those goals in a timeframe comfortable for you. When you define your goals, you see how out of balance you really are, because you realize you’re not working on the things that are truly important to you.

KNOW your obstacles

Know what barriers prevent you from succeeding in areas of your choice. Identify your obstacles and work on ways to improve your life by reducing and/or eliminating the things you don’t want, so you can allow for the things that you do want in your life.

This Month’s Journaling Questions:

q Describe what a balanced life means to you.

q List all the tolerations that are currently in your life and that prevent you from having the balance you seek - these tolerations can include clutter, relationships or items never crossed off your To Do List.

q What trade offs are apparent to you in your current work and life situation?

q What compromises have you made as a result of these trade offs?

q What one thing can you do today to begin the journey to a more balanced lifestyle.

Wishing you balance and passion in your life and career,

Warmest Regards,

Rosemary Augustine Y

This article was featured in American Business Women's Association, Prairie Winds Chapter Newsletter, August 2004.

~ ~ ~
Presented by: Rosemary Augustine
Author of "How To Live and Work Your Passion and Still Earn a Living"
© 2005, Rosemary Augustine