How can you assess your work-life balance?

You don't need an executive coach to know this, rather just ask yourself the following question. "Do you see the sunset more often during your commute than the sunrise?" If you often see the sunrise on the way back to home, it's time to call you executive coach.

"It is just a job!" No it isn't, it is up to 70% of your entire life. If you're waiting for those 30% to make you happy and bring you balance then think again. How about making these 70% enjoyable at the first place? Wouldn't that be the perfect balance to start with? I will be writing soon more about that. Follow for more

Prioritizing effectively is crucial for achieving work-life balance, a principle integral to success at Mattson Enterprise. Begin by identifying your core values and long-term goals. Assess tasks based on their alignment with these priorities. Embrace a proactive mindset to plan and allocate time accordingly. Regularly review and adjust your priorities as circumstances evolve. By constantly evaluating your commitments in relation to your values, you ensure a harmonious balance that fuels both personal and professional growth.

It helps to dig deep on this. Asking what is truly important to ME. Not based on what society tells me I should be aiming for, but was most aligns to who I am, who I want to be and how I want to live my life. It can also be helpful to consider whether 'balance' is what you really want. It might be that aiming for something like work-life fulfilment, flow or wellbeing feels more useful for you. Many feel the term work-life balance is now outdated and unrealistic. But do what works for you.

Have your own definition of work life balance. But please note that our priorities change overtime. Work life balance does not neccessarily means you need to stop working after 5:00 p.m. You work around it, to ensure that you have quality time for yourself, your family and your little projects.

It can be helpful to think of energy in the categories of mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and social energy. In each of these categories, what are your energy drains and your energy gains?

Say "yes" to activities that are truly life-giving, rather than the ones you feel "guilty" saying "no" to. I have found it's much easier to intuitively find the balance when the activities in my personal life are intentionally selected and compel me out of the fun of work.

According to one's preferences and priorities, every individual's day would look different and so would their daily activities. Keep a detailed record of your daily activities. This includes work tasks, personal commitments, and leisure time. This tracking exercise provides insights into how you allocate your time and helps identify areas where adjustments may be needed.

Daily reflection is a great tool for you to evaluate how you are going. Adjust it. Some times work life balance also means learn to say No more. Example: say No to meeting requests without a clear desired outcome.

Once in a while we should be reflecting on our daily activities and assess whether they align with your priorities. Consider the time spent on work, family, self-care, and recreation. At times we get to know that we have been spending a major chunk of our time on an activity that matters the least to us. An honest evaluation will reveal areas needing adjustment and guides you toward a more balanced lifestyle.

Just say NO to some unnecessary stressfull things to save energy for necessary things. It is very easy. Think 30 seconds that we should accept this or not.

Do you have Fun slotted in your calendar? whatever Fun means to you! It could be workout, family time, friend time, travels...Whatever it is it has to be slotted or else it will be left to randomness with low chances of it happening.

You should regularly and periodically measure the goals you planned to see how much they have been achieved. After that, trace the causes by drawing a cause and effect diagram or a fishbone diagram and identify and fix the weak points. This cycle is permanent.

Based on your evaluation, formulate a realistic plan to achieve a more harmonious balance. Set achievable goals for each priority, allocate time accordingly, and be mindful of boundaries. At times the real culprit isn't the work load or less time that you can find to have everything you want. It is your inability to have an effective and realistic plan or a routine to provide you a perfect balance. A well-thought-out plan acts as a roadmap to guide your daily decisions.

Can you remember a week when the work load wasn't the most intense and consequently you had more time to do the things that brought Joy to your heart? Keep that week as a benchmark and every time you have a draining week, refer to that ideal week and implement the needed changes. Don't wait until this kind of relaxed week happens again as it might not unless you simulate it and replicate it.

Put your plan into action. Execute the changes you've identified to bring about a more balanced lifestyle. Additionally, consider interviewing yourself periodically. Ask questions about how you feel, what adjustments worked, and where challenges persist. Self-reflection is a powerful tool for continuous improvement. Regularly review your progress, celebrating successes, and adjusting where needed. It's a dynamic process that evolves with your life's changing demands.

Rather than seeking an impossible "balance," aim to optimize both career and personal life. Assess if you are thriving in key areas like workplace productivity, meaningful relationships and diligent self-care. The language of "work-life balance" misleadingly suggests work and life counteract each other when they are closely intertwined and can complement. In reality, there are seasons where career warrants more attention, and vice versa with personal life. The goal is overall harmony between priorities over time, not a daily equilibrium. Ultimately "balance" is subjective; define what it looks like for you currently. Professional and personal endeavors, along with work and personal growth are able to coexist with intention.

As an alternative view could be to think about work life integration, not balance. Integration means renewal, restoration, beginning again, making whole. I prefer this to ‘balance’ as it’s a more natural ebb and flow of situations rather than a weighing scale trying to find elusive equilibrium. It doesn’t need to be all or nothing. Work or home. Off or on. You don’t always need to be getting something done, achieving something, striving for the next meeting or task. Sometimes it’s better to pause, enjoy the unplanned moments, see what inspiration comes from just being. Nature understands integration-the seasons, the weather change, the tides come and go. Transformation happens in the stillness. And somehow everything still gets done.

Refrain from the concept of work life balance. Work is a part of life and so are things like relationships, health, relaxation etc. So trying to put all others aspects of life in one bucket and work in the other could be part of the problem. This thinking also forces a compromise mindset i.e. to make time for say health, one has to compromise on work - this is not a helpful way to think. One could find joy at work, build Relationships at work, find purpose at work etc. So once you have listed down what are the most important things for you right now, you may be surprised to find some of them at work. The rest is a matter of how important is something to you and why.

Personally, I consider work-life balance as a prioritisation exercise. Attention goes to where the need is. However, given the frequent discussions on this topic, I'm inclined to think it's a systemic issue requiring broader perspectives, possibly at the organizational or community level, to create a balanced ecosystem. Let’s ask this question what causes the imbalance?

To me it comes down to two questions: "how happy are you?" and "how happy is the people you care for when they are around you?". Work-Life Balance as a concept has a tricky part to it, suggesting both are at odds. Personally, I am happy working. Maybe because I love my work, or just because I have found ways to enjoy it. If I work more hours one day, but I'm productive and finished a project I really enjoyed, part of my life is fulfilled. I'm happy. If I'm able to enjoy time with my kids, wife, friends, and we are happy, that nurtures me too. But if I'm thinking about what I'm missing while working, or I'm making someone I love miserable with my mood, regardless of whether I am at work or at home, something surely is off balance.