“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
But by the moments that take our breath away.”
There is no perfect one size that fits all the balance in life that we all strive for constantly.
Each ones terminology of work life calibration varies as each one of us individual has a different work style mode and personal life priorities. But the two utmost important elements of work life calibration are “ACCOMPLISHMENTS” and “HAPPINESS”. But these two words are like a fresh mirage in a hot burning desert. Though achievements and happiness are the two important sides of coin which go hand in glove yet seem to be far apart.
We have a delineation feeling that we cannot enjoy both the realms of the coin, whereas the simple fact of life is we can align these both with a simple efforts and a gentle push. All we need to do is concentrate our focus on both the elements to create a holistic balance among them to enjoy a happy burden free life.
Let me share with you an example of a lady named Sheena who is getting coached under my wings in my signature programme, “SEDUCTION OF SOUL”. Sheena was a busy woman, eighteen hours of her day was spent in working in her compact office in Dubai. And being the sole bread earner of her family she grew sadder and stressed day by day as her working hours increased. In the end she turned so depressed that she started suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Never smiling, never connecting with the people around her, just plain old work mode to feed her family. She completely stopped taking care of her physical and mental health. Soon, her husband got very worried and never saw her home, he began doubting her and thinking, “Is she cheating on me?”, “Is she not happy at home?”, “Does she want to split from me?” and so on and so forth.
But when Sheena realized what emotional turmoil her husband was undergoing, she took the decision to quit her current job and took a small job at home, working straight from her husband’s home and heart and felt happier like never before.
Is work life calibration a myth or is it pure reality. Work life calibration is the real concept of fine tuning and proper prioritization between the two elements ‘achievements’ and ‘happiness’.
Here are some simple and easy techniques to fine tune our achievements and happiness:
MANAGING TIME EFFICIENTLY.
Do the hardest tasks first. In his popular book, ‘Eat that frog’, Brian Tracy quotes Mark Twain’s saying, “If you eat a frog for breakfast, chances are that will be the worst thing you have to do all day.” The quote suggests that if you do your hardest tasks first each day, even if you don’t complete everything on your to-do-list, you will still feel fulfilled.
Dedicating time to the most important task is the key. And to do this, you need a planned schedule. Set deadlines for tasks and stick to them. Concentrate on important and urgent tasks. Quit procrastinating!
DON’T ALWAYS SAY YES.
Your commitment to your work is admirable, but to get a work life balance, you need to learn to say a NO and actually mean it.
Eileen Carey, CEO of Glass breakers, put it this way, “Say no at work when you are assigned a task that does not fall under your job description and could easily be accomplished by the person who is asking it. It’s important to say a no at work because it earns you respect“.
If you aren’t getting paid to do something, and the task will take away time from accomplishing what you are paid to do, saying no demonstrates your commitment to your role and the value of your time.”
Do what you can, but minimize your unnecessary workload.
PRIORITISE, THEN DELEGATE.
“The surest way for an executive to kill himself/herself is to refuse to learn how, when and whom to delegate work,” said James Cash Penney, founder of J. C. Penney retail chain.
While you are at work, a lot of things will demand a share of your time. But to find balance, you need to prioritize and delegate effectively.
In the words of John Kovacs, CEO of TOREUP, “Doing everything yourself doesn’t serve your desire for balance. The more the tasks you delegate, the more time you have to focus on what is important, and the implication is more time for other personal passions.”
LIVE HEALTHY AND FIT.
The essence of work is to make a healthy living. You need to be healthy to execute those bulky projects. Set health goals the same way you set work goals.
Exercise regularly. Make it a part of your routine. It will not just help you reduce body fat and look fitter, but will also help to prevent other cardiovascular diseases, and will increase your stamina and general energy level.
Also other entrepreneurs miss out on resting and sleeping adequately, and they end up working until they break down, both physically and emotionally. Don’t even try to make that your story. Depriving yourself of sleep occasionally for few hours to work on a project could be understandable, but it should not become a compulsive habit.
And most important is to eat right ; as the saying goes, ‘you are what you eat’. This means to eat wise and think wise which aids you to detoxify your body from the wrong kind of food and your mind from the wrong kind of thoughts.
GET HELP.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. If you need an assistance to help return mails and take calls, get it. Ask your co-workers, friends or even family for help with a task if you need it. Don’t be a lone striker; as we all need midfielders to win in the game.
I remember working on an article with my family. I simply assigned parts of the research I needed to different family members, and the project was super fun. My work was completed and my family thoroughly enjoyed it.
The long and short of it is you need A CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE to survive, so let people know that they are important to you by trusting them with tasks. Admit when you don’t know how to proceed, and get help. Save yourself some time ——and some frustrations.
So in the end I would just say that play through your strengths, prioritize your time grid, know your peaks and troughs, nurture your work and personal growth, set realistic benchmarks, step out of your comfort bubble, enjoy your ME time, and think and grow rich in your mind, body and soul.
“It’s better to rise from life
As from a banquet—
Neither thirsty nor drunken”
If you wish to share any views on work life balance feel free to connect to me at jignatanna71@gmail.com or at jignatanna.com
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