| Proactive Manager Institute: IMDR ,Pune
Status: Offline Posts: 409 Management Paradise Rupees.: 985 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Age: 30 | Battling Between Professional & Personal Life? -
July 9th, 2007
Battling Between Professional & Personal Life?
It’s time you strike a "Perfect Balance"
"The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time." - Henry David Thoreau
Gruelling work schedules, tight deadlines, weekend sacrifices at workplace, getting in boss’ good books, tough competition and appraisal phobias….the endless madness actually sounds like a threat to a sane mind! Its sad but true, most of us have become accustomed to operate on the ‘work-hard and no play’ principle, thanks to the corporate ladder race which we all have become a part of — consciously or unconsciously.
Once, an executive asked a workaholic colleague, "Is there any other place you would rather like to spend time, with yourself or your family or then just pursue your favorite hobby?" The workaholic colleague was zapped. Why? Well! the idea just didn’t dawn on him that he would be anywhere else but at his workplace. And mind you this could really turn out to be a serious problem with the guy not even aware of when he lost his personal relations and moreover he lost his own original self!
If you want your life to be more than a series of meetings, e-mails and business trips, you are not alone. If you really work on balancing work, life, and family amazing things can be accomplished with less struggle and effort as all aspects of your life work together in harmony.
There are several ways to achieve a balanced work life depending on individual’s lifestyle and choice. Here are some ideas to help you find the balance that’s best for you:
1. Enjoy on weekend hours after working hard during the week. Spend quality time with your family. Go out with your friends. Or mop up the workweek in a more relaxed way and shoot the breeze about sports or any leisure activity, which pleases you.
2. Nurture yourself. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as walking, working out or listening to music. Unwind after a hectic workday by reading, practicing yoga or taking a bath or shower.
3. Get adequate sleep. There’s nothing more relaxing than a good night’s sleep.
4. Use humour to drain stress, lighten weight. You can use your sense of humour to transform problems into punch lines to decrease stress and increase profits.
5. Don’t just dream of relaxation. Make a habit to set aside one night each week for recreation. Make time for activities you enjoy will rejuvenate you.
6. Keep a log for a week to know your work and non-work related activities. Decide what’s necessary and cut or delegate activities you don’t have time for. Organise household tasks efficiently. Run errands in groups rather than saving it all for your day off. A weekly calendar of important dates and a daily list of to-dos will help you avoid deadline panic.
7. Strengthen your support system. Give yourself the gift of a trusted friend or co-worker to talk with during times of stress or hardship.
8. Resolve conflicts and deal with it confidently and safely and create "win-win" outcomes.
9. Competition is good. But break away from the Rat Race.
10. Assess how well you manage your time, clarify your values and priorities, confirm your career and work goals and develop a practical action-plan to better balance your work/life responsibilties.
The more harmony in your life, better are your chances of managing a successful personal and professional life. Balance doesn’t mean doing everything. Examine your priorities and set boundaries. Be firm in what you can and cannot do. Only you can restore harmony to your lifestyle.
On their part, organisations can take steps to keep employees healthy both on and off the job. Here are some suggestions for organisations to work on:
1. Provide more personal time to employees. Be compassionate and look at people’s real life struggles with wisdom.
2. Have flexible work time. It allows social and family obligations to co-exist with practical considerations by having various relaxed policies.
3. Build and maintain a good workplace environment, which is psychologically healthy. Have mentoring programmes, on-site health clinics, recreational activities, ongoing advice and assistance, etc. Keep a check on behaviours like office bullying, discrimination or inappropriate conduct. Investigate to bring about change.
4. Provide information on local care providers, day care centres or loans to help pay for elder care. This helps ease the stress of home life.
5. Offer options like working from home, part-time employment and leave of absence programmes in appropriate circumstances.
6. Encourage sharing of new ideas and implement them if appropriate.
7. Keep employees well informed about the benefits and opportunities available to them. Communication is a vital component in managing change effectively and ensuring a successful transition from policy through to implementation.
Organisations can work out innovative benefits which pay off with increased productivity, retention, profits, workforce morale and company loyalty, as well as reduced absenteeism, stress, worker dissatisfaction and use of sick days, recruitment costs and staff turnover.
The greatest gift you can give your employees is not just the ability to make a good living, but to make a good life. Helping your team carve out a meaningful, satisfying life will pay dividends in replenished energy and enhanced commitment to you and your firm.
“Sometimes I win, and sometimes I lose, but I always learn"
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