Get Some Work Life Balance

Some people find balancing work and other life commitments is like walking on a tightrope over the raging Niagara Falls – one false move and you drown. For others work life balance is easy, they are satisfied with their commitments and feel they have control over their lives.  It is a fact though, that there has been a shift over the last 20 years with Australians now working longer hours, more women joining the workforce and on average, we are working 350 more hours per year than our peers in the Netherlands!  No doubt other countries have seen similar shifts.
Although many women now work more than 45 hours per week, men continue to shoulder the largest burden of very long work hours.
Often with longer and longer working hours people become absent from relationships either with their partners, their children or other family members to whom they have loving obligations. Friendships, a great source of debriefing, can be diminished or lost altogether and people who experience a life imbalance are also often lonely and isolated.  While relationships can and do breakdown, there is also the risk of waking up one day and realising that there is no-one with whom you have shared the recent trials and tribulations of life.  No-one to whom you are genuinely connected.  Relationships of all kinds may have become surface and business-like leaving only loneliness and emptiness.
There is no doubt that joy in life can be found in relationships and connection with others. Material possessions obtained through the high incomes associated with gruelling hours may bring only temporary pleasure and happiness – even though they are fun at the time.   In fact, studies have shown that fathers’ relationships’ with their children is directly related to the hours that they work – more hours equals poorer relationships.
A work life imbalance occurs when one is overtaking the other to the extent that it is impossible to meet the time and energy demands in all of your life roles. It may be that you simply have too much to do; either at work or at home or both.  Commonly work gets in the way of family and at other times, family gets in the way of work.  Many people who are caring for children, particularly children with special needs or those who are caring for elders often find that those family needs make it very difficult to fulfil their work demands.
Additionally, there are people in our communities who play a number of significant roles that make life for the whole community what it is. These are the volunteers with clubs, service organisations and charities who often rack up many hours per week.  Usually very busy people with a multitude of other caring roles, sometimes they burn out due to their multiple commitments and inability to achieve that balance within their lives and they are lost to this special work forever.
So take charge of your life and relationships and see if the following three tips help get your work life balance back:-
1.    All Australian Governments have policies that support workers to achieve balance.  Check out your employers policies and try to negotiate reasonable work hours.
2.    Ask for help, even of you find that difficult to do.  There are always people who want to help – give it a go.
3.    Take care of yourself.  It all starts and ends with you.  If you are strong and looking after yourself, you have more energy available to help and support others.  Do something nice for yourself every day.