4 Ideas For Excellent Work Life-Balance

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Mike Greene, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Do you have it? Work-life balance.

I met with a client recently who is clearly overworked. And he’s the main reason, self-admitted. His challenge is similar to many who are reading this – he cares too much. Problem is, he’s paying a price on the other end. He’s giving his best at work, and he and his family get what’s left. This is a good person – good at what he does, cares about his team, cares about his wife and family, and even cares about his health – enough to know he should be doing more.

His story isn’t much different from others. The extra hours at work is a slippery slope that quickly turns into a habit, which also creates a standard and expectation from co-workers, direct reports and managers. It also creates an expectation at home.

What is work-life balance? What’s right for you? What do the experts say? Your work-life balance is ultimately up to you, not me or anyone else.

We could all likely list dozens of ways to create work-life balance, but here are just 4 key points I strive to live by that might be helpful to you:
1. Constrain work hours – I personally have a “stop” point for work and anything that does not involve my wife or kids. That means exercise, work, reading (work related) – all that has to be done by a certain time each day. It’s a guideline, not a rule, but a guideline I take very seriously.
2. Exercise – this drives my eating habits as well; it sharpens my focus to be more present in all areas – home, work, and community; it promotes self-confidence through self-discipline – one of the most powerful habits we can develop.
3. Getaways – for us, it’s family vacations and marriage getaways. It can be costly, but there are ways to do this relatively inexpensively as well. Bottom line is – get away – and take none of the normal every day challenges with you. It’s wonderful! And when you come home, you get to bring the best part back – the one or ones you love!
4. Spiritual focus – take this a variety of ways, but for me, it’s about honoring and growing my personal relationship with God. This means weekly church, daily devotionals, and intermittent prayer.

These are just some of my ways…but that’s just me. What about you? Are you struggling with work-life balance? Is there room for improvement that’s reason enough to make a change?
Bottom line: For you – what does it look like now? That’s point A. What should it look like? That’s point B.

Now, find one thing that would clearly move you closer to point B. Just one. And start moving.