Conquer Challenges of Work & Family
As life continues to speed up around you and technology provides opportunities for you to do more, many people feel further away from living a balanced life. One of the central concerns of all working professionals is to live a balanced life. Your life, however, is fluid and in constant motion, therefore the challenges you face are continually shifting and evolving. You must find the formula that works for you and avoid the should’s, could’s, and have to’s because they reflect someone else’s standards rather than your own.
You must learn to look, not for a solution, but for a process, a way of addressing your challenges and issues that you can use over and over as each issue arises. Just as you weigh the pro’s and con’s of each course of action at work, you set goals and objectives, you organize your work, you delegate, and, you communicate, you must learn to bring this level of concentration, focus and discipline to your life at home. Interestingly, the same skills that contribute to your success on the job and make you a valued, productive employee, are the skills you also need to manage your home life and to achieve a healthy balance.
Some of the common challenges facing working professionals today include: time for self, relationships and family; being able to organize at home and work; sticking to priorities; professional development and career growth; societal standards; conflicting demands; and sheer exhaustion. You can combat some of these challenges by:
- keeping a healthy perspective
- rethinking the ‘should’s, ‘could’s, ‘have to’s, ‘ought’s and ‘if only’s in your life
- acknowledging and accepting your reality and current situation
- recognizing your limitations
- having a positive attitude
- aligning your actions and handling of every day tasks and demands with what’s truly most important to you (seek the joy in life and you’ll end up feeling balanced and happy)
- committing to making changes to simplify your life and eliminate habits that no longer serve you.
The stress of balancing work and personal life can make you feel out of control. It can negatively affect your health and self-esteem. Feeling in control increases your ability to cope and feel better about yourself. The end result is that you can be a more productive worker and a more loving parent and partner.
Increasing Emphasis on Work/Life Balance is Worldwide
I am constantly on the lookout for trends and stories related to work/life balance. What I find is that this is an issue that spans the globe. It is clearly a global issue. I’ve read about problems faced by employers and employees across the US and in Canada, Australia, India, throughout parts of Europe, and more. Some countries seem to have more policies and support in place than others, yet this is a very broad issue.
In India, I read that there’s an increasing emphasis on work life balance across companies. As a result, human resources are being viewed by most organisations in a more holistic manner. Work life imbalance and stress feed on each other. Happier employees are more productive and more loyal. Flexible working opportunities and a platform for employees to maintain a healthy balance between work and home benefit everyone. Having an engaged employee is largely dependant on the ability of the organisation to keep pace with changing employee expectations and providing a platform to strike that perfect balance.
This is no different from anywhere else….or is it?
Yours truly,
Coach Natalie Gahrmann
