Is Your Life Out-of-Balance?
Has your life lost its balance? Are you spending more time working and less time on the things that matter most to you, like your family, your health, etc.? If you’re like me, you know what you want your life to look like, but how do you find the time?
I used to think that I needed to become more organized or disciplined around how I was using my time. However, then I started to notice how increased work demands were impacting my life. A 2014 Washington Post article reported that the average work week had increased to 46.7 hours or nearly an extra full day (6th day) of work every week. In addition, many of us are spending time each day commuting to and from our jobs adding more hours to our work day. If you’re like me, you may also find yourself using your 7th day as a catch-up day for the things you weren’t able to complete during the week (errands, laundry, responding to email, etc.) in preparation for Monday. No wonder, it’s difficult to reach our goals to maintain a healthy, balanced life!
And when our lives consist of excessive work demands, it leaves less time for rest and recovery. As a result, many feel burned-out negatively impacting their physical and mental health. Even when they do have time for socializing or completing fun projects, they might find themselves not having the necessary energy and instead fall into a habit of zoning out with social media or tv marathons.
So how do we get back into balance? I think the first step, and the most important, is to wake-up; to stop living in a trance-like state, just getting by day after day. When I begin living with more intention, it’s easier to identify and make changes to improve the quality of my life. Are there ways for you to add more fun or recovery time in your schedule? Does your body need higher levels of nutrition, so when you do have time for other things, you have the energy to do them?
Has your life lost its balance? Are you spending more time working and less time on the things that matter most to you, like your family, your health, etc.? If you’re like me, you know what you want your life to look like, but how do you find the time?
I used to think that I needed to become more organized or disciplined around how I was using my time. However, then I started to notice how increased work demands were impacting my life. A 2014 Washington Post article reported that the average work week had increased to 46.7 hours or nearly an extra full day (6th day) of work every week. In addition, many of us are spending time each day commuting to and from our jobs adding more hours to our work day. If you’re like me, you may also find yourself using your 7th day as a catch-up day for the things you weren’t able to complete during the week (errands, laundry, responding to email, etc.) in preparation for Monday. No wonder, it’s difficult to reach our goals to maintain a healthy, balanced life!
And when our lives consist of excessive work demands, it leaves less time for rest and recovery. As a result, many feel burned-out negatively impacting their physical and mental health. Even when they do have time for socializing or completing fun projects, they might find themselves not having the necessary energy and instead fall into a habit of zoning out with social media or tv marathons.
So how do we get back into balance? I think the first step, and the most important, is to wake-up; to stop living in a trance-like state, just getting by day after day. When I begin living with more intention, it’s easier to identify and make changes to improve the quality of my life. Are there ways for you to add more fun or recovery time in your schedule? Does your body need higher levels of nutrition, so when you do have time for other things, you have the energy to do them?
Take a moment to take stock of how balanced your life is, and if there are changes you can make. You may find that your work demands will always be excessive, and therefore, will continue to impact the balance and quality of your life. If you would like to consider a career that could give you the income, happiness and quality of life you desire, click on the picture to the right.