Work-Life Balance: Where Did All These Balloons Come From?

Imagine you are standing in a room and have the task of keeping a balloon from dropping to floor. Your standing there balancing this green balloon, succeeding and feeling proud of yourself. All the sudden, two red balloons are added and now you’re trying to keep all three up. At this point, you’ve probably started to use both of your hands, when almost immediately five yellow balloons are added. You continue to do your best to keep them all off the floor and succeed for a few seconds, but eventually a few begin to fall and some even pop. All of these balloons represent the various tasks that you try to manage every single day both at work and at home. But, as you can see balancing all of these tasks is difficult and at times feels impossible.

In his TedTalk, Nigel Marsh explains that in order to find work-life balance and hold all of these responsibilities up, that you have to elongate the timeframe in which you measure balance in your life. Measuring balance from the day-to-day perspective leads to the impossible task of trying to complete too many personal hopes and work to-do’s in a short timespan. By extending your timeframe to a few days, a week, or more, you can manage both sides without (much) stress or worry that all of your balloons will fall.

With the influx of technology no longer are the days of a formally leaving work at work. You can no longer step away from your desk or turn off your computer, and expect work to stay in the confines of your office. Emails, text messages, other office messaging systems, social media, and more now allow work hours and tasks to bleed beyond office walls and into your personal life. With these blurred lines, it is not a shock that your balloons fell to the ground.

How then can you find balance and keep those balloons up? Well, use the tips below to start setting boundaries and developing your own work-life balance! These tips have been adapted from 6 Tips For Better Work-Life Balance, by Forbes and Ten Tips For A Better Work-Life Balance, by The Guardian.

1.Let go of perfectionism. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown explains, “Perfectionism is self destructive simply because there's no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal.” Shaping your work and personal life around this unattainable goal will ultimately lead to burnout and emotional distress. Don’t put extra pressure on yourself at work or at home to complete everything perfectly. You must shed this notion of being perfect and instead strive to be authentic. By doing what you can, when you can, and doing it well - will take you farther than overwhelming yourself daily.
2. Unplug from technology. With technology surrounding us every minute of every day, it is challenging to divert your attention away from work emails or notifications. Especially with you phone in your hand (at all times). It is important that you start to find time to unplug from technology (especially work emails and messages) to focus on yourself. Simply find some time during the day to turn off your phone, ignore social media, and close out your email to refocus on your life outside of the office. In these tech-free times, reinvest in past hobbies you’ve enjoyed, or spend time with your family.
3. Take time to consider opportunities, don’t immediately respond. Are you the type of person that immediately responds to all emails? Or, the person that is quick to say yes to every task brought your way? If you said yes to both of these, it’s important to take a step back and not immediately respond. Immediate gratification has become a cornerstone of our lives, but there are times where you have to consider your personal capacity. By responding to all emails immediately you set the expectation that you are available at all times of the day. By setting a boundary of not responding to email past a certain time or within a specific timeframe, you show your colleagues that you do respond in a timely manner, but that you also respect your personal life and theirs. This same boundary holds true for being quick to say yes to additional work requests. If an opportunity is presented to you, it is important to again take a step back and think through the opportunity before committing. By giving yourself the option to respond in the future or within a few hours, you can clearly think about the amount of time the task will take on top of your current duties and if you feel confident in your ability to complete the task and to do it well. Taking these small steps, will help you begin to create a formal separation between work and life.
4. Change the structure of your life. To change the structure of your life, means to take control of the habits you have formed and the habits you wish to change. In her book, Better Than Before, Gretchen Rubin explains, “Habit allows us to go from 'before' to 'after,' to make life easier and better. Habit is notorious - and rightly so - for its ability to direct our actions, even against our will; but by mindfully shaping our habits, we can harness the power of mindlessness as a sweeping force for serenity, energy, and growth.” By asking yourself, what habits can I change to make life easier? - you can reevaluate the various habits that control your life like incessantly checking your phone when you wake up or before you go to bed, allowing yourself to watch one more hour of television at night instead of falling asleep earlier, responding to work emails late at night, and the list goes on - to mindfully decide what habits you want to change. Your habits can be changed - one at a time - for the benefit of finding a more balanced life, but you have to first take the time to mindfully recognize those habits that are making your life more difficult.

Need (or want) more work/life balance tips? There are a myriad of books, podcasts, and TedTalks that have been led on this topic. Keep reading and reference the sources below for even more resources:

• Work-Life Balance Book Suggestions
• Work-Life Balance Podcasts