Work/Life Balance

by Kim Brewster

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” This ancient village proverb is as relevant now as it was then. Jack had no work/life balance.

To some, work/life balance is a phrase completely devoid of meaning or attainment. To others, it is a delicate balancing act where some days work consumes more of our time yet life is able to assert its rights mightily on other days, so the scale once again becomes level.

If you have taken our Getting the EDGE course, you may remember the section on the Weekly Recharge. This is a set time per week (because you set a task reminder) to capture the prior week’s events, successes, sales, everything from your calendar. The recharge includes completion of outstanding emails, voice mails, and items without categories. It’s your creative place, if you will, of your outlook on life (not necessarily the Microsoft program). Who knows, a review of the items on your someday/maybe list may have borne fruit.

A cursory read of the above paragraph may lead you to believe that all those items are work related only. However, you know you have just one life, so why would it be separate from work? If you are using your Outlook tools to the fullest, your hair appointments, workout times, shopping, cultural events, et al, will be there. Moreover, the things you long to do, like take a fabulous trip, remodel your house or setting aside time to read a book, will be there in your someday/maybe.

By assembling the information from the weekly recharge into a weekly update email that is shared with my colleagues, I have a snapshot of my life at work and life not at work. I can see where imbalances may be occurring.

Intuitively we know when we need to take a break. This is where PTO or vacation time comes in handy. Just like having a savings account, having a PTO account ensures a bank of time for me to use as I wish, even if only half a day. As my own PTO banker, I am in charge of making sure I have extra time stored for an emergency, but it is also my responsibility to take time for myself. I don’t want to end up like Jack.