WORK LIFE BALANCE

The other day I had to go to my son’s school to collect the report card, and there was this very important client meet… it was very important that I need to be in both these places. The amount of adjustment and the mental agony I went thru before managing to successfully accomplish both these tasks is hard to describe. That is when I realized the importance of maintaining work life balance.

So what is this Work Life Balance?
Our lives are divided into various quadrants – self, workplace, family, friends and Community. Each one of these quadrants demands 100% from us…
Are we able to satisfy all and lead a fulfilling life…?

Here is a small input to find out if we have been able to do so?
Have you ever had the sensation of feeling of being in a boat, completely out of control, and being tossed from one corner to another without any control?
Do u feel you have had enough of everything and just want to throw all that u worked for away and take a long, long break
The reason for this sensation that most of us have is due to lack of maintaining a work life balance.
We all strive so hard sacrificing the self, family, friends and community and concentrate only on the workplace…

Two simple concepts determine the answer: the sense of achievement and the resultant joy.
We worked hard at our studies and then at our workplace to fashion a career for ourselves.
Remember, if a person works too much, sacrificing quality family time, he might
reach the top of the corporate ladder quickly, but the achievement and material gain will not commensurate the price he's forced to pay in the long run.
On the other hand, being in this competitive world, one has to prioritize one's
business or professional career to financially support one's family, as well as maintain a steady growth curve.
While more and more employees are attempting to strike a balance between work and family, there are still myriad ways for technology to intrude on personal time.
E-mail, voicemail, mobile phones and laptops allow employees to take their work
home. Many do this on a regular basis, which means they may be away from the
office but are connected by the umbilical cord of technology to the server.
I do agree that sometimes one can't help but take one's work home. But one
shouldn't make it a habit.
It is up to you to strike the balance.

There is a very simple proverb, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…
In this competitive world of rat race to reach the top, it is very true. Each one of us work towards an invisible goal which is never reachable and work towards achieving that… at each and every stage… we want to go higher. And in this herculean task of moving higher and higher, we miss out on so many personal pleasures and commitments, and the realization of what we lose dawns in only when it is too late.

Simple steps to maintain WLB
1) Simplify – Learn to say no. Remember u cannot please everyone, and it is ok to back out of certain commitments at the earlier stage rather than later…
2) De-stress – Nothing glorifying or complicated… a simple walk, yoga, a small nap…
3) Be a child – enjoy the small things in life which gives you immense joy and pleasure - I still enjoy looking upwards at the sky at the sound of the airplane.
I love to eat a cone ice-cream sold outside Naidu Hall – Pondy Bazaar.
4) Share the load – Trust your family and colleagues… they can also complete the assigned tasks as well as u do and help you reach great heights
5) Slow-down – Take a deep breath, and take stock of the happenings around you. One step at a time rather than giant leaps will help you achieve more.
6) Take care of your health – Eat well and sleep well… remember without good health, even a small chore is going to be very stressful.
7) Don't postpone -
8) Have a positive approach
9) Finally, take charge