We all strive to create harmony between our personal and professional lives, yet many of us struggle to achieve a balance. It is an evolving juggling act!
All elements of our work and family life make us the special individuals that we are.
Here are some steps to help us succeed in the juggling act of creating harmony between our personal and professional life:
➢ Define your priorities – When faced with the difficult choice between work and family, select the one that is more important. For example, if you have to make a choice between attending your child’s first piano recital and going for a meeting, consider rescheduling the meeting if that is possible. Most meetings can be rescheduled and some can be attended by your second in command.
➢ Plan ahead – Pick a day of the week to plan your next 7 days. Sunday is a good day to do that. This will not only help you take a weekly view of your priorities between work and family but also help you organize your activities to work smarter and quicker.
➢ Create a good support network – Remember you can’t do it all alone. Create a network of family and team members that you can rely on for support and guidance during times of need. At work, develop a network of people who you can rely on during your hour of need. Reciprocate and spend time to acknowledge and nurture these special relationships.
➢ Lay down your limits and boundaries – These boundaries will give you the impetus to say “no” when you see others making unreasonable demands on your time. Learn to say “No” for a deeper “Yes” as the late Dr. Stephen Covey would say.
➢ Create your own family rituals and activities – Set up activities that help enhance the intimacy of your family life. For example, a Scrabble night with your family every Saturday or 20 minutes with your child before every bedtime can strengthen relationships and offer a stable, secure environment for your family.
➢ Be flexible – Though it’s good to set your priorities and agendas ahead of time, make the best of the uncertainty of life. For example, the cancellation of a meeting can give you a great opportunity to spend quality time with your spouse or partner.
➢ Let go of guilt – Guilt is essentially an internal dissonance or clash between what you think is right and what you actually did, or didn’t do. But instead of learning from the experience and trying to best resolve the situation, we use our guilt to punish ourselves and sabotage our future happiness. Hence let go of guilt once you have learned your lesson.
➢ Create time for yourself – Responsibility towards your family or work starts with assuming responsibility for yourself. If you are constantly stressed out, you’ll never accomplish much in spite of the hours you put in. Hence, take some time out for yourself every day. Spend it in quiet meditation, indulge in a hobby – but spend some quality “me” time. This will not only help you rejuvenate but also give you space to see things from a larger perspective.
Master the juggling act of finding harmony between your personal and professional life to create sustained success!