10 Tips for Greater Work - Life Balance
Published on 28 Feb 2008 at 6:45 am.
20 Comments.
Filed under Attraction, Feature Articles, Personal Development Strategies.
1. Include self care (having things that nurture and energize) as part of your daily regime . Block out YOU time in your schedule (IN RED). If you don’t take care of YOU, the people and things you care about most won’t get the best of you – they’ll get what’s left of you. This is a critical element in having a healthy life, personally and professionally.
2. Delegate responsibilities. Look for ways to defer tasks and responsibilities to others. Superman and superwoman are cartoon characters. This is the real world.
3. Set boundaries and keep them. You teach people how to treat you by what you allow or say no to. If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed, setting boundaries might be what is needed to create more ease in your life.
4. Clear out the clutter in your life. This includes repairs, stuff accumulating in your home, people etc. Let some things go! This is a big energy zapper. Imagine how much energy you’ll free up when you “lighten up!”
5. Have trouble saying no to requests for help from others? Commit to wait 24 hours before saying yes or no especially if you feel obligated or pressured to say yes. There is a difference between helping others and being at their beck and call. Consider that saying yes may keep others from their process of self-empowerment. Read my August 2007 article on how to say no.
6. Check in with yourself often. How are you feeling? Typically, when we’re tired, hungry, overextended, and too stressed, we overreact to people and situations. Negative inner talk also becomes louder. That’s a red flag that you need to add self care. Ask yourself – what do I need? Give yourself permission to have what you need NOW rather than later. Burnout is very real and can lead to medical or psychological problems.
7. Set time parameters around your work and home life. Separate work time and personal time so you can have a life. Set time schedules for work and play and stick to them. Be sure to have at least 1-2 days when you do not work at all. That includes email or anything work related. If you spend five minutes on something with your business, you worked! Yes, I’m very specific on this point!
8. Surround yourself with people who support you positively - people who lift you and bring out your best. If you have folks who are negative in your life, consider decreasing your time with them if you cannot eliminate them completely.
9. Ask for help. Be willing to let others love and support you. You can’t truly give if you are unable to receive.
10. Prioritize. Are you directing your energy into the areas that matter the most to you? If not, what needs to change?
What others can you think of??????
Cheers,
Lorraine
www.powerfull-living.biz
Gamy Rachel on 28 Feb 2008 at 8:44 am: 1
I always like reading your wisdom and insights, but I especially like this post. I like everything being said in this post, cos it pulls at my heart’s string.
#2 is very funny
Superman and superwoman are cartoon characters. This is the real world.
I just laughed reading this.
I don’t want to be superwoman, cos superman wore his underwear outside his pants
LOL
and Wonderwoman too
Ok, jokes aside, I appreciate your wisdom, Lorraine.
Blessings
Gamy
lorraine on 28 Feb 2008 at 8:47 am: 2
Thanks babe
I chuckled myself as I wrote some of this too.
I appreciate how often you stop by and contribute your thoughts and wisdom!
Blessings,
Lorraine
Goal Setting College on 28 Feb 2008 at 8:55 am: 3
Lorraine, personally #7 is something I’m always trying to remind myself of. It’s very easy to lose sight of the time especially if you’re working from home and doing something you love.
Thanks for the great tips!
Cheers,
Ellesse
lorraine on 28 Feb 2008 at 9:02 am: 4
I am challenged on that point myself Ellesse
Sometimes I’m so immersed in doing something I lose track of time. I also realize I’m choosing to work instead of relaxing and enjoying other parts of my life. I will keep working at this one!
Thanks for your comments
Warmly,
Lorraine
Scott Couchenour on 28 Feb 2008 at 10:22 am: 5
Nice list. I especially like #4 RE clutter. It’s something that zaps energy and many times we can’t tell where the energy is going.
lorraine on 28 Feb 2008 at 11:10 am: 6
I’m a huge believer and advocate of clearing clutter Scott
I’ll be writing a follow-up post on that topic in a few days. Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Lorraine
Greg Lunger on 28 Feb 2008 at 11:29 am: 7
Great list, helps with staying focused on great guidelines for live.
I find number one very helpful !
More Fun being Loving…than being a Crab !
Many Blessing’s !!!******
lorraine on 28 Feb 2008 at 11:48 am: 8
Thanks Greg
I find the reminders helpful personally. It is so easy to get lost in working and forgetting to play!
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Lorraine
Lola Fayemi / Real World Spiritual and Personal Development on 28 Feb 2008 at 12:42 pm: 9
Great list Lorraine
And timely too, especially #6 seeing as I am feeling exhausted today and #10 as not much guilt seeing as I have completed my highest prioriy tasks. Just missing the self-care part, thanks for the heads up.
In love, light and abundance x x x
lorraine on 28 Feb 2008 at 3:02 pm: 10
We become reminders for each other Lola
I find when I neglect the self-care piece, everything suffers because I am not at my best. It’s an ongoing practice to regularly tune in to respond to our needs for the day - or even the moment!
Blessings,
Lorraine
Darlene Norris on 28 Feb 2008 at 7:21 pm: 11
Setting aside a day when I don’t work at all is my downfall. We keep Sabbath on Saturday, so I try, but I have to admit I don’t always succeed. After reading this, I’ll make an effort to take this more seriously. It’s too easy to get burned out otherwise!
lorraine on 28 Feb 2008 at 7:28 pm: 12
I understand the challenge Darlene
I have broken my own promises not to work and rationalized why I have. It’s a good reminder of how attached or addicted we get to working especially when we work from home and the computer is so accessible.
Let’s both commit to this, ok?
Cheers,
Lorraine
Derek on 29 Feb 2008 at 12:24 am: 13
Given that I write about work life balance from a Dad’s perspective, I have to say that I loved these tips. Great post!
lorraine on 29 Feb 2008 at 8:12 am: 14
LOL -Thanks Derek
I take that as a compliment. Any tips you’d care to add?
Cheers,
Lorraine
Derek on 29 Feb 2008 at 11:57 am: 15
Lorraine, you’ve covered the majority of the ideas that I discuss and use but here are a few additional thoughts.
Be creative - If you work for someone else, ask them if they would support telecommuting or a flexible work arrangement. By cutting down your commute time you will be able to be more productive at work and have more time with your family.
The power of no - Don’t only use the word no at home, you can say no at work too. Also, by watching how often you are saying no you will learn to recognize when your life is out of balance.
Mistakes are ok - Sometimes there is a pressure to feel like you need a perfect balance. We are all going to make mistakes, learn from them and do your best not to repeat them.
Set aside special time - Make a special time with your family and don’t let anything interrupt that time. Maybe it is Friday night pizza night, or game night on Wednesdays. Whatever it is just make sure it always takes priority.
Schedule everything - Don’t be afraid to use your work calendar to schedule personal appointments. When your child has a game or event and you need to leave a little early, put a meeting on your work calendar. Others will see your time is booked and schedule their meetings accordingly, I mean most work meetings aren’t all that important anyways.
lorraine on 29 Feb 2008 at 12:02 pm: 16
Excellent additions Derek
Thank you for taking the time to submit them. Time issues are a big challenge for many folks. Having additional tips on scheduling is great!
I smiled when I saw the one about making mistakes. A few days ago I wrote an article on mistakes. If you are interested, click on this link: http://www.powerfull-living.biz/blog/2008/02/26/failures-and-mistakes-keys-to-success/
It’s great to be stumbling with you
Have a terrific weekend
Lorraine
GreatManagement on 7 Mar 2008 at 6:24 am: 17
Great list.
One to add - don’t be a perfectionist!
Things / tasks don’t have to be perfect before you move on to th next thing / task.
Andrew
lorraine on 7 Mar 2008 at 8:08 am: 18
So true Andrew
I’m a believer in doing your very best rather than having things be perfect!
Have a great weekend
Lorraine
greatmanagement on 9 Mar 2008 at 1:57 am: 19
Lorraine
I have chosen this post for my weekly GreatManagement Inspirational Articles - The Best Advice From Around The Web.
Andrew
lorraine on 9 Mar 2008 at 8:14 am: 20
I take that as a great compliment Andrew
Many thanks!
Lorraine