How to Create Balance Between Your Work and Life
By Karen Cross

Have you ever heard anyone say: "I wish I didn’t have to spend so much time with my family and friends" or "I really don’t like spending so much time playing and having fun" or "I shouldn’t spend time taking care of myself physically and emotionally" or "I just love spending long hours, evenings and weekends at work"? No? Me neither.

It’s usually quite the opposite. People talk about how little time they have for their family and friends, having fun, and taking care of themselves, and how much time they have to spend working. The truth is, it’s not about there not being enough time; rather it’s about the choices we make on how we spend our time. When most of your time is spent at work or thinking about work, the result is an imbalance between your personal life and work life.

There is no question your workload is large, deadlines are tight, and responsibilities seemingly endless. As this is unlikely to change, it becomes even more important to have a good balance between work and life. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of working long hours in order to stay caught up or get ahead. Unfortunately, this is only an illusion because there’s always more work waiting when you "finish" the work you’re doing.

Here are 5 tips to help you create balance in your life:

1) Focus on what you are accomplishing rather than on all the work that still needs to be done.

2) Set priorities that put the things that are most important to you at the top of your list. For example, if spending more time with your children is important to you, then make a commitment to leave work on time.

3) Let go of work when you’re not there and focus on being present to the people and activities in your personal life.

4) Ask yourself what you really want. Is it a life filled with hard work or is it having fun and enjoying yourself.

5) Get support from someone else; someone who can keep you accountable to yourself and your commitments. This person could be a friend, family member, co-worker, or even a personal life coach.

You might be wondering if it’s possible to have perfect balance between your work and life all of the time. No. There will always be things that happen that pull your attention to certain areas of your life for periods of time. If you think of the various aspects of your life as making up a wheel, the key is that your wheel doesn’t look like a flat tire with work always dominating your attention.

So starting today, make a commitment to take one action that will create more balance between your work and life.

Karen Cross, BSW is a writer, speaker, life and career coach, and founder of Pathfinder Solutions. She specializes in coaching helping professionals make personal and career transitions, practice better self-care, create balance, and find greater happiness in their work and life. For a free copy of her "How to Propel Your Career to the Next Level in 3 Easy Steps" special report, call 250-714-0996 or email karen@pathfindersolutions.ca

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