Work – life balance is the dynamic interaction between ‘work’ and ‘life’.  ‘Work’ is those tasks you must do to keep your life functioning – paid or unpaid, inside or outside of the home. And ‘life’ is those things you do for your own personal fulfillment – the things you really enjoy and want to do. ‘Balance’ is the ideal blend of those two areas.

To move toward life balance, become aware of how you are spending your time. Notice where you are satisfied, where you may be imbalanced and what you would like to change.

Next create your own vision of a balanced day.  How do your desire your ideal day to look while enjoying the perfect combination of ‘work’ and ‘life’?

Identify the obstacles that interfere with your quest for balance such as your own thoughts, words and actions. Also look at other obstacles such as other people’s opinions, schedules and actions.

And finally, put it all into ‘action’.   Awareness, desire and identifying your obstacles are important, but to move toward balance, you need to take action.

Work-life balance is not a destination. It is a dynamic state of awareness and choices. Try these simple tips to help move you toward the life you desire.

Take this quiz to see how well you are living in sync with your values.

1. I have spent time clarifying my values and can easily articulate them.

2. My values are my own. I have not simply adopted them from parents, teachers or other outside influences.

3. I based my choice of occupation on my deepest values.

4. My values are in alignment with the company I work for (or own).

5. My business associates and I regularly examine how we are living up to our values and mission.

6. I turn down money-making or status-building opportunities when they conflict with my values.

7. In resolving disputes at work, I look beneath the apparent problem to see if values are being dishonored, and then I seek ways to honor them.

8. Anyone looking at my life from the outside would see what I value.

9. I use my values as a guidepost for making decisions. I ask if a particular choice would bring me closer to—or further from—a core value.

10. When I feel upset, it’s almost always because my values are being trampled—either by me, someone else, or the situation.

11. I am not easily swayed by others’ opinions when they conflict with my values.

12. To remain open and flexible, I am willing to re-examine my values to determine whether something is still true for me.

13. I find creative ways to honor all of my values—even when they conflict with one another.

14. My work values are in harmony with my personal and relationship values.

15. If I live according to my values, I will feel satisfied and successful throughout my life.

If you answered false more often than true, you may wish to clarify your deepest values and bring your life into greater alignment with them. Please don’t hesitate to call if you’d like support in doing this.

Time is the great equalizer. Everybody gets the same amount: 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour. We can’t save time or accumulate or rearrange it. We can’t turn it off or on. It can’t be replaced.

But these days, it seems as if the lament of not having enough time has become everybody’s “story”. Everywhere people find themselves constantly in a rush, over-booked and over-scheduled with no time off. Life is accompanied by the ongoing stress of not enough time. And sometimes doing too much and being too busy can be a way of numbing feelings or disguising depression or anger.

Though it may not always seem so, how we fill our time and how we spend it is our choice.

Answer the following questions to discover if you’re caught up in the “too-busy” cycle.

1.      I constantly find myself doing “urgent” things and trying to catch up.

2.      I allow myself to drift into obligations when I don’t know how much time or energy they’ll require.

3.      I find myself running from when I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. I’m always tired and never feel like I accomplished enough.

4.      I seldom schedule a day off for myself and when I do, I tend to fill it with activities. Hmm, sound familiar?

5.      I don’t make time for “self-care” activities: physical exercise, nurturing or “pampering” myself, spiritual well-being, learning something new, playing, or simply doing nothing.

6.      I seldom have time to do the things I really love.

7.      My work and project areas are cluttered with “I’ll look at this later” stacks and “to-do” piles.

8.      I often miscalculate how long certain activities will take.

9.      I often miss deadlines or work long hours to meet a deadline.

10.  I respond to interruptions such as phone calls, faxes, email, beepers and pagers, and allow them to take me off track.

11.  I try to keep things in my head rather than making lists. If I do make a daily “to-do” list, it’s impossible to complete in a day.

12.  I tend to move from one urgent thing to the next, rather than working toward specific goals and objectives.

13.  I find myself constantly wishing I had more time, making comments such as “as soon as…” or “next year…”

14.  I spend time running errands and rushing because I didn’t plan well enough.

15.  I spend time doing things I could pay someone else to do.

16.  I often do things because I “should,” or continue to do things that no longer fit who I am.

17.  Other people complain that my schedule doesn’t allow enough time for them.

So, how did you do?  If you would like to look deeper at some of your answers, give me a call or pop me an email for a complimentary session.

It is easy to say, “That’s just the way it is”.  Well, right now, maybe it is, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  It is your choice.  Let’s explore the possibilities!