For many of us we thought the biggest challenge in our lives would be finding the good job that allows us to both live a good lifestyle but still have time to pursue other interest. However, once we get a family then the desire often switches from earning as much as we can to finding a way to spend as much with the family as we can without sacrificing performance in our profession. According to a recent Harvard Business School survey, 94% of working professionals reported working more than 50 hours plus per week, in fact half of the those surveyed worked even more than 65 hours. Now, what is deemed “excessive” will vary from pundit to pundit but one thing they all can agree on is the compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging. It can hurt relationships, health and overall happiness. So what we looked at some of the best ways for professionals the help in your quest to balance work and family.
- Don’t Be So Caught Up In Becoming The “Perfect Dad” – It’s tough to be the killer CEO, perfect math tutor whom never loses his patience, and the championship little league coach. In fact, according to Marilyn Puder PHD, “A lot of overachievers develop perfectionist tendencies at a young age when demands on their time are limited to school, hobbies and maybe an after-school job. It’s easier to maintain that perfectionist habit as a kid, but as you grow up, life gets more complicated. As you climb the ladder at work and as your family grows, your responsibilities mushroom. Perfectionism becomes out of reach, and if that habit is left unchecked, it can become destructive.” So let some things go and don’t try to reach perfection but rather proficient or excellent.
- Find Time To Unplug And Getaway – You live by the sword, you die by the sword. From telecommuting to aps and programs that make work easier, technology has helped our lives in many ways. But it has also created expectations of perpetual accessibility. Pardon the sophomoric verbiage but “when you are with your family somewhere, then be 100% there”. In other words, if you are at your son’s little league game, turn of the phone and actually pay attention to what’s going and be in the moment. This is never more true if you steal away for a weekend getaway with the family, try turning off the phone for an hour or two to start, then move up to an afternoon, then for an entire day. You’ll be shocked how liberating it is.
- Take Care Of Yourself With Exercise And Even Meditation – Besides being essential to a healthy life, exercise will also help you obtain the balance you’re seeking in a plethora of ways. When you’ve pushed your cardiovascular limits you surprisingly have more energy each day. You have more patience, it’s helps reduce your blood pressure, and if you’re also hitting the weights you feel better about yourself. Also, meditation can make you more focused and organized as you power through your busy day. Being more efficient will also free up time to do things you love to do which is what we’re all tying to accomplish in the end.
- Keep Time Wasting Activities And People To A Minimum – First, identify what’s most important in your life. This list will differ for everyone, so make sure it truly reflects your priorities, not someone else’s. Next, draw firm boundaries so you can devote quality time to these high-priority people and activities. Next, it will be easier to determine what needs to be trimmed from the schedule. If email or internet surfing sends you into a time-wasting spiral, establish rules to keep you on task. That may mean turning off email notifications and replying in batches during limited times each day. Obviously, if you spending three hours a day on social media, making sure all of your friends see how awesome the hotel you stayed at was, try reducing that a little at time in your own “10 step program” to get that down to a quick daily check if you must, and move on to things that will pay a better dividend like a good night sleep and breakfast with your kids before they leave for the morning.