Work Life Balance – Is it attainable? Try Answering These Three Simple Questions

Work- Life Balance is a pretty popular concept these days. Front page headlines feature it. Magazines do too. Google it and you will find thousands of items listed. Professional coaches often work with clients who are struggling with their own version of ‘work life balance’. Makes a person wonder… what’s all the fuss about? What’s the big deal? A little imbalance never hurt anyone. Right? Think again.

It’s actually a pretty huge deal. Most people score themselves quite low when it comes to achieving a reasonable work life balance. In fact, most of us don’t really have a good grip on what that balance might look like.

And now, there is new research indicating that if we don’t get a full eight hours of sleep a night, we are courting sleep deprivation and our level of functionality becomes seriously compromised. Again… what’s a person to do?

You’re probably hoping I’ve got an answer. Well, I don’t. But what I’ve got is three simple questions that, if you spend a couple of minutes pondering, may just help you find the answers that work for you.

Here are my three questions:

1. What are the 5 most important tasks in your day? These are the things that you say: “Only once these things happen can I feel relaxed and good about myself and my day”

2. What’s the gap between how much time you currently devote to personal time (relaxing, fun, hanging with friends, learning- however you define it) vs. how much time you wish you devoted to personal time? (In other words, a bit of a reality check)

3. What will it take for you to craft a ‘new normal’ that includes more ‘personal time’?

It’s amazing how when we ask ourselves some good questions and really take a bit of time to answer them, we often surprise ourselves with the answers we come up with ourselves!