2. THE CHALLENGE:
Work-Life Balance
“How to keep growing my practice at AGG without overwhelming
myself”
“I think it’s impossible to get everything done…without
resorting to crowding out my own personal down time”.
“The issue…is my own time management.”
3. Work-Life Balance:
Self-Awareness
Having self-awareness is essential. Many of our routine behaviors and reactions to outside events and
circumstances result - almost automatically - from fundamental beliefs we hold about the topic or situation.
Building greater skill in self awareness will help you identify the source of your subconscious responses,
allowing you to examine and choose a reaction based on your adult knowledge and experience.
At some point, you should realize your true values and goals, and align them with your behavior. So, to be
more clear on what work-life balance means to you, you should ask yourself…
Does “Work-Life Balance” have meaning to you?
Can you extrapolate the best parts of your work life and create balance based on your values & goals?
What values do you place on work?
What values do you place on your family and home life?
What are the consequences of not having work-life balance?
Are there negotiable and non-negotiable terms that intervene in your work-life balance?
Based on this thought process, where does your work-life balance stand on a rating scale?
4. What’s really important to you?
Do you keep track of your time and where you spend it? Do you have a time utilization plan that you
can refer to when you start to slip back into imbalance? Time management is a skill just like other skills.
You have to develop it.
In developing your time management plan you have to have as the overarching goal to keep your life
balanced. Constant monitoring will help you make adjustments on the fly that will increase your chances
of success.
Who or what takes precedence? Is it long hours at the office or having a healthy life style? What do
you regret? Is it missing important decisions at work or missing longer hours at home with your beloved?
Only you can prioritize the significant events in your life and work, and decide what is more
meritorious in giving your life meaning. Contemplate your work-life and make a decision to
move in a positive direction.
5. Identify and Enforce
Boundaries
Identify Boundaries Enforcing Boundaries
Always enforce your work-life boundaries.
enforcement. Learn to delegate, perfect the skill
of saying NO, not today. Agree only when you
determine that something falls inside the
boundary perimeter. Scrutinize the yeses and
nose to make sure they align with your values
and goals.
Recognize when something makes you feel
uncomfortable. Identify the boundaries using
your self-awareness skills. Always be aware of
how you feel about activities you task yourself
with or asked by others to do. When you feel
very uncomfortable about a situation it is often
because a boundary is being violated or is in
danger of being violated. Reflect on past
situations where you've been very
uncomfortable. These are potential boundary
situations.
6. Build Flex Time into Your
Schedule
Schedule the unscheduled. Leave two to three hours each day
unscheduled.
Use it for planning, managing the unexpected, and dealing with
emergencies.
The unpredicted is inevitable. If you plan for the
unanticipated, you’ll spend less time putting out fires and more
time concentrated on the activities that move you closer to your
objectives.
