Work-Life Balance




Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of our various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. 

The best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for us today will probably be different for tomorrow. The right balance for us when we are single will be different when married, or if we have children or when we start a new career versus when we are nearing retirement.

There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance we should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives. That is the basics of work-life balance!. 

Climbing the organizational ladder often requires employees to work long hours and deal with difficult and complex issues. Some days on the job are likely fun and positive and other days are tension-filled and stressful. A common dilemma for many people is how they manage all of the competing demands in work and life and avoid letting any negative effects of work spill over into their personal lives. 

research has in fact shown that employees who believe they do not have time for the personal life feel drained and distracted while they are at work. In addition, the spillover of negative aspect of work into an employee’s personal life can lead to job exhaustion, disruption of relationships with family and friends, loss of enjoyment, and increased stress.

In their drive to succeed, many new executives get caught up in a merry-go-round of business reviews, executive team meetings, e-mail, and late-night conference calls with colleagues around the world. In many companies it can be difficult if not impossible to break away from this routine even for a long weekend, and the cumulative effects of stress and workload are damaging. We know a great deal about the long-term health dangers of prolonged stress. 

Under continued stress an executive loses his or her perspective on issues and the ability to look at problems creatively. Molehills become mountains. Conflict with colleagues becomes personal. The “flat spots” of our personality — for example, arrogance, inflexibility, aversion to risk or a tendency toward negativity — become evident. And most of us revert to tried and true solutions — the enemy of breakthrough strategies and new innovations.

Abraham Maslow (1970), in his hierarchy of needs he explains the needs of a person as a human being, to be met before anything else. He explain this in a pyramid as below 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs


nevertherless, at the core of an effective work-life balance definition are two key everyday concepts that are relevant to each of us. They are daily Achievement and Enjoyment. Meaningful daily Achievement and Enjoyment in each of us four life quadrants: Work, Family, Friends and Self.

Lets ask ourselves, when was the last time we Achieved AND Enjoyed something at work? What about Achieved AND Enjoyed with our family; our friends? And how recently have we Achieved AND Enjoyed something just for us?

Why not take 20 minutes on the way home from work and do something just for our self? And when we get home, before walk in the door, think about whether we want to focus on achieving or enjoying at home tonight. Then act accordingly when we do walk in the door.

At work we can create your own best Work-Life Balance by making sure not only Achieve, but also reflect the joy of the job, and the joy of life, every day. If nobody pats on the back today, pat ourself on the back. And help others to do the same.

When we do, when we are a person that not only gets things done, but also enjoys the doing, it attracts people. They want us on their team and they want to be on our team.

more importantly,  lot of overachievers develop perfectionist tendencies at a young age when demands on their time are limited to school, hobbies and maybe an after-school job. It’s easier to maintain that perfectionist habit as a kid, but as you grow up, life gets more complicated. As you climb the ladder at work and as your family grows, your responsibilities mushroom. Perfectionism becomes out of reach, and if that habit is left unchecked, it can become destructive (Puder-York)

References 


Beeson J (2011), The Myth of Work-Life Balance [online], Available at <https://hbr.org/2011/12/the-myth-of-work-life-balance?referral=03759&cm_vc=rr_item_page.bottom> [Accessed on 23rd June 2018]

Bird J (2003), Work-Life Balance Defined [Online] Available at <https://worklifebalance.com/work-life-balance-defined> [Accessed on 22nd June 2018]

Christine M (2013), Work-Life “Balance” Isn’t the Point [on line], Available at <https://hbr.org/2013/06/work-life-balance-isnt-the-poi> [Accessed on 24th June 2018]

Lee J (2014), 6 Tips For Better Work-Life Balance, [On line] Available at <https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#2d6999fc29ff> [Accessed on 24th June 2018]

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