Transfer all your media to your Android.
by Kelly Walsh | on October 2nd, 2013 |
How do I achieve work-life balance?
As a life and career coach, I get this question all the time. Even if you’ve never explicitly asked this of yourself or someone else, you’ve most certainly danced around it or raised it subconsciously while trying to both finish a client’s report, make it to a friend’s party or decide whether it’s worth it to take a long weekend.
We all want to know the secret to arriving at – and staying at – that state of balance, that point where we feel contented and in control of these conflicting aspects of our lives.
The Truth About Achieving Work-Life Balance
But here’s the thing: balance isn’t a state. It’s a process. It’s a continual back-and-forth between individuals—something I like to illustrate with the example of a teeter-totter.
Related Article: The Power of Positive Thinking
You’re probably familiar with this scenario from your own childhood: you and the person on the opposite end of the teeter-totter take turns going up and down, and it’s all good fun until one of you decides to dig your heels in, leaving your counterpart stranded up in the air.
And then there’s the other scenario, much worse, wherein your friend decides to up and leave without warning, sending you plummeting down to earth for one painful landing.
Professional relationships can be a lot like that. If an employer refuses to budge, the employee is effectively held up in the air, made hostage by his or her dependence on the employer—and equilibrium is lost. If it’s the employee who’s inflexible, the work-life balance is similarly disrupted and working relationships are undercut by a lack of trust or the knowledge that an employee isn’t truly committed to the opportunity given to them.
Exchanges like these, comprised of extreme highs and lows, can only lead to disgruntlement and dissatisfaction. It takes ongoing compromise from both parties to establish the sort of rapport that can make the workplace, much like the playground, a fun, productive environment.
Related Article: Set Your Goals: The First Step to Success
5 Tips To Build Better Work-Life Balance
1. Communication
First build trust before asking for favors. Bond over your love of Downton Abbey because relationships matter. Then consider how you can cover for a coworker while one goes to a child’s …
Pages
