Four Key-Points To Work And Life Balance
Work and life
balance is one of the important facets that every individual should find a way
of making it possible for purposeful and eventful living. The fact still
remains that work in general is never done - which is a good thing really,
because if there is no more work to be done, there is no more progress to be
made. But constant work without play makes for a very dull existence. The key
to purposeful living is balance.
This in most cases is a difficult thing to achieve for so many
people, because most sojourn on the surface of the earth while either going on
100 miles an hour, or being stalled completely. And, thereby don't even know when and how to make a balance between their work, life and how to effectively channel their life to the right path which will make them life a fulfilling life.
I do
believe that hard work is good for us. However, if we don't also include
periods of rest, quiet contemplation and recreation, what are we working so
hard for? We must also make time to enjoy the fruits of our labour. The
question to be asked then is: How do we create balance in our lives? I believe
there are four key areas of our lives that require (yes, require!) daily
attention. By the way, they are listed in order of importance.
1. Your Disposition to
God/Spirituality: The first thing to do is to take time to focus yourself
mainly and commune with God (whatever your interpretation of God may be). This
is very crucial to your existence. Prayer, meditation and quiet contemplation
are so important to our overall health. It doesn't matter what religion you
practice, it matters only that you make time to honour your spiritual self and
your connection to the Divine, in every single day. First thing in the morning
is best for most people, since it can help you adopt a positive mindset for
your day. Or you may prefer the late evening hour before bedtime, to help you
de-stress from your day. You don't have to spend hours on this, 30 to 60
minutes is plenty.
2. Your Disposition to Yourself:
Each and everyone of us needs time every day to work on our physical and
emotional /mental wellbeing. This is time we can use for exercise, journaling
and self-exploration, and hobbies. Again, it doesn't have to be massive amounts
of time, but at least some time for exercise and self-care is necessary. Women
especially are good at taking care of everyone else and neglecting themselves.
Don't do that! You You cannot fully give to someone else when you are empty
yourself. Make yourself a priority, and make time to care properly for
yourself, physically and emotionally. By so doing, you will be a much happier
person and be able to give that much more to those you love. DON’T NEGLECT
YOURSELF!!!
3. Your
Disposition To Your Spouse/Family - This is actually two categories, but they
do tend to blend together. Time together as a family is so important, and it is
something that is sadly beginning to happen less and less in our hurried
society. Here are some ways to help that. Make it a priority to have dinner
together every single night. No distractions or television blaring in the
background. Have a "family day" or "family night" where you
spend one evening or perhaps one weekend day together doing something fun as a
family - and this doesn't include camping out around the television. Go to the
park and have a picnic, visit garage sales, or during the winter you can build
a snowman or go sledding or ice skating.
Time
spent together having fun is the most important thing you can do to yourself
and other people around you to show that you really care for them. This goes
for you and your spouse also. Have a weekly "date night" where the
two of you spend time alone together, without the kids, and without
distraction. Relationships require maintenance to keep them strong. Make it
romantic and rekindle the flame that once brought you together. Don’t forget
that your spouse and family needs your attention and the funny aspect of it is
that You Can Never Buy It From Them. YOUR PRESENCE MATTERS MOST TO THEM! GIVE
THEM THEIR RIGHT!!!!
4. Your Disposition To
Your Work/Business: You may be surprised that this is the last aspect of work
and life balance in every individual’s daily obligation! Most people today put
work first and forget the rest, but doing so creates a sense of constant duty
and drudgery. Work is important, but it's not the most important thing in life.
If you make the other three categories your first priorities, your time spent
working will be much more productive and fun. You won't feel so burned out and
stressed out, and you will accomplish a lot more than you would otherwise. But
if you focus on your work alone neglecting the first three, sooner or later
whether you like it or not, boredom will set in and you wouldn’t be able to
meet up with all the challenges that come your way and if care is not taken,
DON’T SAY I TELL YOU! Failure, depression and stress may set in to constitute
“cog in the wheel of progress in your work life!
One of the most
important things we can do to become more balanced in our lives is master the
art of Mindfulness. It means being fully present in every moment, giving our
full attention to every task.
This can be difficult for many of us, because as
we are performing one task, our mind is already moving ahead to the next task,
and the one after that. This means that at any given time, we are performing
multiple tasks at the same time. One we are performing with our hands, and the
others in our mind. What a way to feel exhausted and overwhelmed.
Try
focusing on only one task at a time, and I think you'll be surprised at how
much more you can get done, and with less fatigue at the end of the day. It
takes practice though. At first you may need to consistently bring your
attention back to the task at hand. Your mind may want to keep wandering, as it
is used to doing. That's okay, simply bring it gently back to what you are
doing right now, and continue on. With practice, you will be able to master
this and feel much more focused and calm throughout your
days.
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