Nature, in its own unique manner, strives to maintain the balance of life on this blue world. It does not always accommodate our desires. When an imbalance in life is unavoidable, whether caused by nature or by humans, the course correction will be unpleasant. Work-life balance has proven to be a difficult task in today’s fast-paced and demanding environment. Possibly, it is such a problem that we are unable to meet our lofty goals of succeeding in all areas. Our victory has never been coupled with a balancing act. It has always been the act of managing our personal, social, and professional priorities. So ask yourself this question: have you ever bought or sold a supermarket item without first balancing the weighing scale? Responses would demonstrate that the balancing act has always been a win-win situation.
The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
-Stephen Covey
Understanding Work – Life Balance
There used to be a separation between work life and personal life. There were the hours you worked and the hours you didn’t work; an office for work and space where you didn’t work. Today, many of us have the ability to be constantly connected to work, and it’s become more intense since COVID.
Let us now attempt to comprehend the true meaning of work-life balance. This work-life balance is essential for physical and mental health and happiness. The idea isn’t new. Psychologists and productivity gurus have been researching it for decades in order to better understand what makes people happy in order to improve workplaces and overall mental health. You can overload someone if the expectations of one position, such as one at work, clash with the needs of another, such as those of a parent. But what if we decide to devote more time or effort to either our personal or professional lives? Is it a sign of a work-life balance problem? Most of us would answer yes, but Most of us may say Yes, but it is not. Because we behaved in response to the situation at hand. We carry out the actions in accordance with our priorities. Work Life balance does not imply dividing one’s time equally between work and life. It is to be aware of our priorities and to act accordingly. If we fail to understand this important aspect, then we may end up frustrated. According to the TIWIW team’s analysis, those who believe in setting the proper priorities in any area of life have a high quality of life. They are more satisfied with the end results. There is no such element to balance. It is only the priorities.
If one glances through the benefits of work-life balance or simply maintaining symmetry between work and life are numerous and may vary from person to person. The most vital amongst all is your happiness. Once you are happy, then you are mentally and physically charged up. Improved mental health means reduced Stress levels.
How to maintain Work – Life Symmetry
We can choose to set the boundaries we require. We can prioritize our lives based on what is important to us at the time and what makes us happy. We have the ability to change our culture bit by bit. .
The following are the terms of engagement suggested by the TIWIW team:
1 Begin your day with You: To put it another way, prioritize your body and mind. A brief exercise routine lasting 15 to 30 minutes and 10 minutes of meditation can power you through the day. A healthy mind and body helps to better balance priorities.
2 Don’t put too much pressure on yourself: You have control over what you can. You can’t be in charge of everything. Don’t even put pressure on yourself. The more difficult you strive to balance, the more negative impact you must face.
3 : Avoid blaming work or life spaces:
Both life and work have their own significance, and neither is superior to the other. Both of these areas complement one another. Both are parts of your life. Treating them separately might lead to the unnecessary preferences on one another.
4 : Seek Advice rather than casual discussion: It is absolutely normal for us to discuss with our family members about our work space and with colleagues about personal life. It helps us in relieving stress or burden. But what if we receive professional advice? Isn’t this a beautiful thing? This assists us in lightening the load and making sound decisions. Advice and suggestions add a variety of perspectives to the solutions.
5 Take a Break: Instead of taking longer breaks, take shorter intermittent breaks. Utilize them for taking your mind off from the activity you are carrying out still maintaining the flow. ( Refer blog: how to take Joy Breaks) During these breaks making a communication with your family or friends or colleagues can develop deep connections. During longer breaks engage yourself with activities like hobbies.
6. Be innovative :To put it another way, consider changing your attitude to find a solution in your personal or professional life. It’s a fantastic thing to use productivity hacks. Talk with professionals to learn how to increase productivity.
7. Set Limits:Specify a time restriction for doing the tasks. But, be adaptable. Establishing limitations will keep you from becoming distracted. Setting restrictions would prevent work time from spilling over into personal time even if you work from home.
According to TIWIW, there are no unique strategies that can be followed to achieve a perfect work-life balance. This balancing process, like learning, is continual and does not occur overnight. One must progress step by step. Only quality inputs / plans and quality actions can result in a quality life. Our existence is a part of nature, and we are not distinct from it. Although we are attempting to balance our work-life balance, let us not forget to balance the symmetry of life-nature.
What do you think?