One of the trickest issues people are struggling with these days is their work/life balance. Having been a avid reader for many years I know that many generations have struggled with these issues but our current economic and business climate has created an even greater sense of urgency and desperation for people to succeed at work. This has led to even crazier work schedules and demands from work that employees do more work with less staff.
Recently I spoke with a friend who works in accounting for a Fortune 500 company was regaling me with his story of how his department had lost 2/3’s of it’s staff and yet was doing more work than ever. It was creating very real stress in his life. His story is not unique as some people have to work two jobs or take on extra responsiblities to make ends meet.
Here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission we are under such constant pressure as well. With a never ending stream of clients in desperate circumstances, all of the people we are called to serve are in crisis. And we’re supposed to go home and shut it off?
All this leads us to wonder how we can succeed at work and still have time for the stuff that matters most deeply to us – our relationships with family and friends.
While it is not easy, there are things you can do to have a better work/life balance. Here are a few things that have helped me balance my role as CEO, Father of two busy young men, husband and friend.
1. Realize that not everything takes 8 hr segments. Work is one of those activities that requires large segments of time for most of us. Many people are assigned to a task that is location specific (a cubicle, desk, answering phones, etc.) and there is now way to do that task in less than the assigned task. Others are flexible as to the location, but the overwhelming tasks that face them ensure that the time segment needed will be large. This leads us to assume that ALL important things require 8 hrs., but that’s not true. Refreshment can come by doing activities that use much shorter chunks of time but offer a physical or psychological shift from the norm such that it creates a renewed energy in you. Activities like exercising, reading, calling a friend, watching a show, going to church, or running down to Starbucks. But it’s more than that- most relationships, even critically important ones, don’t require huge chunks of time on a daily basis to be healthy and rewarding. We do the math in our head, 8 hrs at work, 8hrs. with the kids, time with my spouse…How can I do it all? Relax, in most cases even your most loving relationships don’t require huge chunks of time. Your kids, even your beloved friends, don’t really expect or need you to be there ALL the time. What they do need is for you to make them a cherished and prioritized part of your life and to be ENGAGED when you are there. Relieving yourself of the false assumption that you must be all places at all times will help you build a more sustainable balance.
2. Plan for SEASONS in your life. Here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission we plan our work in seasons. I encourage all of our staff to look at summer as a time to refresh and get their systems ready for our PRIMETIME season, which is our Sept-Jan. stretch. These fall and winter months are a time of pressing to meet the incredible demands and needs that we will face during those months. You might be saying, “that’s nice, but my business doesn’t have natural breaks”. Neither does ours. Statistically speaking, we feed and house nearly as many people in June and July as we do in November and December. But that’s what makes this point even more important. In businesses where you don’t get natural seasons of rest, you must PLAN a season of refreshment. It’s up to you. Members of the Mission team who refuse to take a step back to refresh and get perspective because “people need me” will ultimately end up burning out and dropping out. They won’t be able to help those “people who need me” because they will be emotionally and physcially fried. It’s a trap and one we all need to avoid. Make a plan to be refreshed.
3. Prioritize and Cut out Low Priority Responsibilities. In busy times like these you can drive yourself to an early grave trying to keep up with responsibilities that you have accumulated over time. Not everything is priority #1. Is there something you are doing that you just need to hand off? Perhaps because it’s someone else’s #1 priority you’ve accepted it as something you must do, but when you do a tough analysis it’s just not critical to your priorities. It’s like doing an assignment at school only to find out that it’s not part of your grade. In my life, there are only a few things which I will be graded on: my relationship with the Lord, the strength of my marriage, my role as a father, my relationship with my loved ones (friends and family) and the effectiveness that I guide the organization I have been given stewardship over. (in that order) All the other stuff is extra.
There are probably lots of other things I could encourage you in maintaining work/life balance. This is a work in progress for us all and none of us is perfect in this. Add your own comments and tips to help me and others.
DC
