Leadership Skills

Work-life Balance

Work-life balance means taking the time required to meet both workplace needs as well as your personal (life) needs. It means not taking away from one in order to make time for the other. There is no rule about how much time should be alloted to either category, and each day fluctuates. The reason finding a balance between the two is so important is that you should not regret one because it takes away from the other. We all have work and a personal life, and your will be happiest if you can find a way to make both of them work within a 24-hour day.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Do I takeregularly work home with me?
• Do I read and respond to work-related emails when I am not scheduled to work (i.e., evenings and weekends)?
• Do I check my voice mail from outside my workplace?
• Do I work in evenings and on weekends?
• Are the majority of my friends from work?
• Do my dreams center on work-related issues?
• Have I cancelled personal commitments because of work?
• Do I take lunch and coffee breaks?
• Do I come to work early or leave late?
• Do you regularly take time off?
• Do you check in with work during your time off?
• Do you have hobbies or interests outside work?
• What do you do just for yourself?
• What activities do you do to relax?

Finding Your Balance

There are two methods you can use to find a better balance. First, look at the tasks or activities that matter to you, and then allot your time to them. The Wheel of Life method asks you to identify your roles and to assign point values to them.

Use the diagram below to help identify what matters to you in both your professional and private life. Then use a pie chart to partition your time between those people and activities.

The Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life was developed by Paul J. Meyer, and it asks you to prioritize six areas of your life: family & home, financial & career, mental & educaitonal, physical & health, social & cultural, and spiritual & ethical. An easier to understand wheel is from Mind Tools, and they ask you to identify your roles in life, such as partner, parent, worker, friend, etc., prioritize those, and then view the balance of your wheel (i.e., life).

On the Mind Tools site, there is a printable download. It is an excellent resource, and you do not need to pay to use the interactive tool.