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Managing the Work/Life Balance

Many of us hit burnout in our working lives through working long hours and over stretching our energies.  We feel unable to slow down the pace and are driven to maintain a particular level of output.

Fortunately, there are some things we can do to create better working patterns.  Failure to let up when we know we’re hitting overload helps no-one.  We need our mind, body and spirit to be aligned to the same purpose so we can keep life in flow.

These few tips may help to re- assess your current attitude to work.

  1. We are all expendable, no matter how vital we feel we are. Having seen many staff leave over 15 years, it’s surprising how roles are quickly filled.  The gaps we hope we’ll leave behind soon fill over, and whilst individuals may miss us being around, the job and role we called our own soon becomes someone else’s responsibility
  2. 5,10, 20 years from now, it would be disappointing to look back and regret that you did not spend time with significant others, but chose instead to trade your time for the trappings of life (money, perceived benefits etc.). Please don’t become one of these people.
  3. It’s important to take regular breaks. Not just the odd 5 minutes out, but a proper holiday. It takes time for our mind and body to slow down and slough off the strain of continual pressure.  Give yourself the gift of time for YOU.  It’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity.
  4. You don’t have to keep on being busy and fill holiday time with ‘doing. Spend it with someone you love.  Do something you enjoy. And build in time for those ‘doing nothing’ activities such as reading, listening to music, resting, walking – things that fill the soul and fill your spiritual well.
  5. It’s often when we stop that we realise how cream crackered we are. Notice how you manage stuff, and schedule time to re-balance your energies.

You help no-one by pushing through and being a slave to work.

We all need to smell the roses occasionally and just b-r-e-a-t-h-e.

Take a look at how you spend your downtime and re-jig your schedule to let in some light and love.