Making your work & life balance

Making your work & life balance

We've been lied to. We were sold a dream - a dream of a shorter working week with more leisure time. We were sold labour saving devices something to wash and dry our clothes, wash and dry our dishes, automatically cook food at the touch of a button, even clean our teeth, all to free up time. So how come we're busier and more stressed than ever before? You spend so much time at work, yet there is an expectation to work even longer hours or take work home, and you do this because job security is a thing of the past and you daren't say no. And working from home sounds great, but that can mean even longer hours, as work encroaches on your personal/social/family time just a little too much. Weeks and weekends blur together, Saturday and Sunday just more time to work, whether that's bringing work home from the office or working on your own business, and two days at home can feel like the perfect time to catch up on chores. In a perfect world, you would work your allotted hours and no more, but sadly the world, wonderful that it is, isn't perfect. Page 1

So how can you get more balance into your life? I've noticed an increasing number or clients coming to me stressed, burnt out and depressed, never able to turn off their 'work' voice. So I designed these worksheets to help you identify and change aspects of your life in small, very manageable pieces. Find a quiet space and contemplate the questions, and just do it! Page 2

I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. Vincent Van Gogh Page 3

Step 1 Write down the 5 things most important to you in order of importance. Examples business career hobby health family children relationship friendships sport ethics community spirituality animals/pets self care charity financial Page 4

Step 2 Now, write down the 5 things that take most of your time and energy Compare. Do the 2 lists match? It is so easy for the things that are important to use to take a back seat in the pursuit of business, career and wealth. Of course we need to give time to business, career and wealth, but without balance its easy to lose sight of what's important in life for you. Page 5

Step 3 Looking at your lists, identify one thing you would like to focus on, and why. Examples Resume sport Take up exercise Reduce hours worked Go out more have more 'me' time have weekends away start hobby Eat evening meal with partner be home to bath kids Page 6

Step 4 What one thing can you do right now to move you towards that goal? In this example I shall look to reduce hours worked, so ways I might make that happen are: Delegation clear planning/processes set 'end' times identify 'time sucks' ie social media identify your optimum work times Page 7

Step 5 Now, identify one change you are prepared to make this week, example This week I commit to turning my phone to voicemail and putting my my out of office on emails at 7pm Page 8

Step 6 What is currently stopping you from doing this? example I might be needed urgently I might lose business/clients I will not feel in control Page 9

Step 7 Examine the facts: How true are your fears really? What processes can you put into place to solve these issues? What positive effect will it have on you achieving these changes? example When was the last time you were contacted about something that honestly couldn't wait? Can you share late night cover duty? Can you use an answering service? with 'work' turned off for the evening I felt more relaxed I slept better Page 10

Step 8 Do it! Commit to making this change for a week and monitor how it feels > What feels good > What feels difficult Then fine tune it to make the right balance for you example To start I felt guilty when I turned phone off. I noticed messages were only left on a Tuesday as that's order day I felt relaxed, enjoyed my downtime and slept better I will turn phone/emails off at 7pm apart from Tuesday, when I will turn off at 9pm. Page 11

Step 9 Repeat! Change can feel difficult, and if you know a lot needs changing it's easy to become overwhelmed. So keep changes small and manageable, and monitor results. Page 12

Sometimes we throw ourselves into work to avoid something else in our lives. Be aware of any self sabotaging you do when looking at changes. For example, you might say you want to go to the gym after work, but find you are always far too tired. Or you want to share an evening meal with your partner but something always seems to crop up and prevent it. At times like these there may be more going on: >> Honestly, you hate the gym >> Mealtimes with your partner have become boring and uncomfortable, but you don't want to rock the boat Be honest with yourself. Page 13

I really hope you have found these worksheets useful, and I would love to know how you got on - I always value feedback. Drop me a line at jane@janetravis.com Let's connect! Come and connect of Facebook (janetravispd) Pinterest (Jane_Travis) Or Twitter (@Join_Jane Sometimes, change can feel tough. I can help. Drop me an email at jane@janetravis.com, and arrange a free 15 minute discovery call. Let's make those small changes that bring about big benefits. Page 14