"Even the highest of salaries and the most promising career opportunities are of little use if your private life suffers as a result of too much work…." Michael Kastner, a professor of organizational psychology at the Institute for Occupational Psychology and Occupational Medicine (IAPAM) in Herdecke.
As a full time worker for over 30 years, I started thinking about this important topic and am in the beginning stage of putting the following tips into practice.
I believe that the first thing people need to do is identify what truly matters to them and communicate it. Don't hide it and don't expect others to guess what makes you feel balanced and fulfilled.
Do you need to leave work at 6 p.m. so you can have dinner with your family? May be we can communicate with our colleagues and have our work done before or after if allowed, (most issues are important but not all are urgent).
You cannot achieve your balance if you don't respect the boundaries you have put in place. It will be hard in the beginning but you need to stick with it so you develop a routine and drive a culture and lifestyle of predictability. You will find that there is also something else you can do. There is always another email to reply to or a problem to work, but you need to PERSONALLY respect your boundaries. If you don't then you can't expect others to respect them.
Over the years I have seen too many people spend too much time working on things that don't really matter. Time is the most valuable commodity in life: it is the one thing you cannot buy more of. So, don't waste time. Focus on what really matters. What really moves the needle for the business? Are you working on priorities that drive the overall goals of the business or are you just making noise? Really scrutinize your day and max it out every hour, minute and second to focus on the most important outputs. For some this may require a high degree of planning and structure.
People spend 80% of their time producing and only 20% are really important to the success of the organization.
Pretty much every piece of technology has an off button, so use it. It is not easy and for many people this is the hardest thing to do. To get started, do it in phases. Don't bring your cellphone to the dinner table. When you are on vacation, be on vacation. Don't bring your tablet to the beach. Once you have done it a few times, it is easier to push the boundaries. When you unplug and step back you will start to experience one of life's greatest treasures -- perspective. You will think about problems you are wrestling with greater clarity. You allow yourself the freedom to be more analytical and less emotional when you step away and think vs. just diving in and responding in the moment.
To have a long, healthy, productive, and happy life and career you need to understand the value of pace. There are times when you need to throttle up and there are times when you can throttle down. Self-awareness is crucial. Doing so will help you enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
I totally agreed with Craig Cincotta, Vice President of Brand Communications at Porch and it is easy to say we care about work balance but what really makes it work and put it into practices.
References
Cincotta, C. (2015, January 3). 5 secrets to achieving and maintaining work-life balance.
Cincotta, C. (2011, July 4). Work-life-balance: Maintaining a healthy balance.