Creating a Work and Life Balance
A National Study on Balancing Work and Caregiving in Canada conducted last year, found that nearly two-thirds of Canadians work more than 45 hours per week. And their job satisfaction rate was only 23%. With the Christmas/Holiday season in full swing, I can only imagine that people feel as if there aren't enough hours in the day and feel even more stressed. Time for some work/life balance.
1. Prioritize your tasks, both at work and home. I always have Important/Urgent task lists – tasks that are important and urgent get done first; tasks that are urgent but not important get done later or not at all.
2. Learn to say no. I have said no to social events, etc. because I don't want to have back-to-back events, however enjoyable they may be. Also, once you've prioritized your work, you get a better sense of how heavy/light is your workload. Then you can determine whether or not you can assume additional work responsibility.
3. Don't forget to play. Make a conscious effort to see family and friends. Try to spend one day per week.
4. Carve out some quiet time for yourself. This does not mean you use the time to create TO DO lists! Read, listen to your favourite music, meditate, exercise, or work on a hobby/craft.
5. Delegate or outsource. At work, don't take on every step of a project. Ask for help. You can always follow up/supervise what you've delegated to others.
6. Work from home or adapt flexible work hours, if at all possible. Try to cut down on commuting time. If you must commute, use that time as quiet time for yourself.
Canadian Mental Health Association provides practical advice on how to create work/life balance.
Some books to get you going:
Need more books?
2 thoughts on “Creating a Work and Life Balance”
Thank you for reminding us that there’s more to life than just work. =)
You’re welcome! In particular, those of us who are the “sandwich” generation ie. taking care of elders and children would really benefit from carving out some down time for ourselves.