Work/Life Balance = Priorities
No matter how much we talk about work/life balance and how to “find” it, you’ll never stumble upon the secret one day. The reality is that work/life balance is made. It’s a decision that you make and no one else can control for you.
If you think your boss is ever going to come up to you and tell you to take a day off to rest, you’re crazy! If you ever want to “find” that elusive work/life balance, you must create it.
How? Priorities
Every aspect of your life ranks somewhere. Your family, job, hobbies, friends. These priorities are different for each person and it’s not always easy for us to determine where our personal priorities lie, but they are the key to a happier and more balanced life. To figure out your priorities, you want to ask yourself these questions.
“If you could be (successful at work), but your (friends) would suffer, how would you feel?
Then, insert your other priorities in the parenthesis to gauge your feelings about the different subjects.
If you could (have a wonderful family life), but your (job) would suffer, how would you feel?
The goal is not to move to the extreme that makes you feel the best, but it’s about knowing what ultimately brings you happiness so that when the rubber hits the road, you can make the decisions you need to. For some of us, working hard and seeing our relationships with friends suffer is simply a part of achieving our ultimate goals. For others, that’s completely unacceptable.
Once you come up with a full list of your priorities, refer to them when making the hard decisions about what is going to get your attention in your down time. What can you do to feed your priorities while still giving due time to the things that are necessary, but lower on your list?
