On the 21st of November 2012 I was the speaker at an 85Broads Jam Session and here are the slides. The full jam session recording is available to members on the 85 Broads website.

1. Why work life balance is overrated
and how moments of calm are
entirely possible!
By
An Coppens
CEO of Balanced Exec

2. Work life balance is a myth
• As an expert in the field, I am convinced that
work life balance is totally overrated.
• My definition in 2007:
“Work life balance happens when an individual
has enough income to cover living & lifestyle
expenses and has satisfactory time to engage in
lifestyle pursuits, family, education and career.”

3. Work is also life?
So why do we want work life
balance?
Life doesn’t stop in work?!

5. What I often hear is…

6. Stress statistics
• In 2010/2011 10.8 million work days were lost
due to work related stress
– That’s 30,000 years!!!!!!!!!
• Women accounted for 5.9 million days and
men for 4.9 million
• UK based statistics

7. Reasons for stress
Male Female
• Change in job 4% 25%
• Work relationships 42% 8%
• Work load 20% 32%
• Inappropriate 12% 7%
behaviour (eg bullying)
• Work conditions 2% 1%
• Traumatic incidents 3% 6%
• Career issues 3% 4%

8. U.S. statistics
• Percent of people who regularly experience physical
symptoms caused by stress77 %
• Regularly experience psychological symptoms caused
by stress 73 %
• Feel they are living with extreme stress 33 %
• Feel their stress has increased over the past five years
48 %
• Cited money and work as the leading cause of their
stress 76 %
• Reported lying awake at night due to stress 48 %

9. Stress impact statistics
• Percent who say stress has a negative impact on their
personal and professional life 48 %
• Employed adults who say they have difficulty managing work
and family responsibilities. 31 %
• Percent who cited jobs interfering with their family or
personal time as a significant source of stress. 35 %
• Percent who said stress has caused them to fight with people
close to them 54 %
• Reported being alienated from a friend or family member
because of stress 26 %
• Annual costs to employers in stress related health care and
missed work. $300 Billion
• Percent who say they are "always" or "often" under stress at
work 30 %

10. Is balance really enough?
Is it even possible?

11. In the eyes of
Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF
Speaking to NBC television said:
‘I think you can in a way have it all as long as you
can afford to be patient.
‘But you cannot have it all at the same time. You
must accept there will be failures.’

12. In my opinion…
• For the majority of people, it is a to strive for
ideal
• Our thinking and beliefs need an overhaul
In life would you rather have
fulfillment or balance?

13. When you are stressed,
you need calm
Not balance?!

14. Create moments of calm
• Minimum 15 minutes every single day
• Way more often when you can
• Find out what calms you down
• Do that very often 
• Be gentle on you!

15. Lead the boss in the mirror

16. Buy now
Buy your copy on: http://tinyurl.com/d3465dy
Available on Amazon.co.uk

17. Thank you!
www.balancedexec.com