As we close the final year of the decade, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on what we have accomplished and set new goals for 2020 and beyond.
Have you considered adding “work life balance” to your list?
We all get caught up in trying to do it all—usually to our own detriment. Maybe we find ourselves checking emails at midnight, yet still burdened because we aren’t getting enough done. In today’s constant stream of communication, there is always something to do. No wonder everybody is so tired and unbalanced.
Technology allows society to move at an almost inhuman pace, which is perhaps the rub – we are humans, not machines. We should not hold ourselves to an unnatural pace or unrealistic expectations.
If you find yourself gauging your day’s or week’s accomplishments based on how tired you are, how many 12-hour days you worked, or what family plans you missed, you’re doing it wrong!
Or…as research professor and motivational speaker Brenè Brown says, “Exhaustion is not a status symbol.”
I find myself revisiting this great article from the Washington Post, and it seems even more relevant today.
Here are my takeaways (to help ourselves and others gain balance):
- Give feedback. In the same way deadlines are a gift —so is feedback. Instead of just moving onto the next thing, take a few minutes to talk about what someone has done. Feedback can be a sign of respect—a way to acknowledge that someone has accomplished something important.
- Set boundaries. When it comes to rest, fun and celebrating, they won’t happen unless we make time for them. Nobody will set boundaries for us, and no amount of coffee will fix that.
Do you have any tips to share?
Photo credit:
Yeshi Kangrang