Creating a Work-Life Blend to Thrive in Life

This article is based on a new course to help create a work-life blend that works for you. If this topic interests you, follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram , where I'll share details of how to access this course once it's released.

I hope you enjoy the article; as a working parent, blending work and life is a topic I'm very passionate about!

Moving away from the unachievable 'balance' towards creating a flexible 'blend'

I’m not a fan of the term ‘work-life balance’, which implies it’s possible to create a perfect balance and harmony between everything we do for work and in life, and that each area of our lives is equally weighted in importance.?

In reality, life is much more complex than that, and there is compelling evidence detailing why we need to shift our focus towards creating a smart work-life blend to thrive at work, at home and beyond.

It would be wonderful if we could compartmentalise our lives to be able to equally balance our time and energy and be able to give 100% to every task and moment in our lives. But many factors determine our ability to do so.

→ Demands and prioritisation

How can you compare caring for your child or a relative in need to finishing a critical proposal at work? They're both important in different ways. You might be studying for a qualification, and preparing for that may take priority over your social life. Or you could be working on a huge project at work, which takes precedence over taking time to rest.?

→ Energy and effort

Juggling multiple roles and responsibilities can be both energising and exhausting. You may feel a mix of emotions and feelings that impact certain areas of your life for better or worse.?

→ The needs of others

With all the planning and will in the world, the unexpected curve balls that catch you unawares will always demand the reorganisation or your time at a moment's notice.

Taking the first step towards creating an effective work-life blend

The first step to creating an effective work-life blend is gaining clarity on the roles you play in life and what they mean to you.?

This is a necessary step to becoming confident that you're directing your attention, time and energy in a way that creates the best results for you and others. Here are five simple steps for you to start that process:

1. Identify your roles

Write down a list of all the roles you play at work and in life. These roles could include being a friend, partner, carer, manager, mentor, community member or parent. Be honest with yourself here; you may find you're wearing more hats than you thought.

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2. Define what each role means to you

If one of your roles is a friend, what does it mean to you to be a good friend, and how do you perform in that role? What are your contributions and expectations in that role?

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3. Describe how you feel in this role

If being a parent is a role for you, you might describe it as making you feel joyful, frustrated, overwhelmed, and proud. Understanding how a role makes you feel might help you to identify if you need to focus on this area.?

For example, some of your frustration as a parent could be that you're lacking quality time with your children, or spending too much time on this role in your life, and you need a break.

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4. Note the significance of each role as it stands right now?

Remember, this will change over time. Being a leader in your working life might be very important to you right now as you're climbing the career ladder, but it might be less important at other points in time.

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5. Rank your roles in order of importance to understand your priorities in life

You may not be able to compare the role of a carer for a family member with that of supporting a community in your working life, and some roles may have an equal ranking.

6. Using the information to create your 'blend'

Once you're clear on your key roles and priorities, you can plan how to use your time and energy to attend to these. This could include scheduling events in your diary or building routines to ensure you're achieving what you want in each area important to you.

Monitoring your blend dashboard

We might be excelling in some roles in our lives and maintaining others.

Juggling numerous priorities, roles and commitments in life is too complex to be symbolised by a set of perfectly balanced weighing scales. Work-life blend is better illustrated as a dashboard with multiple dials and slides that go up and down, with some aspects of life requiring attention and focus and others needing less attention right now.

If you step back and view your dashboard, you can reflect on the roles in your life that are taking priority and identify roles where you would like to work towards improving your performance.

The factors you need to focus on will change daily or even hour-to-hour. You can adjust where you place your time, energy and attention to achieve the best results for you and those you care about. It's also important to add dials to your dashboard that help the whole operation run smoothly - such as rest, meditation or connecting with people.

Your work-life blend

What are your tips for creating a work-life blend? Have you found it to be effective or a challenge? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

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