Importance of Work Life Balance

What's the importance of work life balance to you right now?

Your description may well be a little different from other people simply because you value different things than they do. But I suspect work life balance might be "off" for you.

Sometimes we don’t know what we have until we lose it. Executives, leaders, and professionals on the edge of burnout know they have lost something. That's what they tell me.

And they desperately want it back.  

One leader kept a record of those things he regained after dealing with burnout, in his quest to get back work life balance. It’s quite the list. I've inserted it below. Do you see yourself in it?

Regaining Balance - The Benefits Received

Physical

• Began exercising again
• Back aches stopped
• Weekly trips to the chiropractor stopped
• Panic attacks kept diminishing to zero
• Got to sleep easier
• Got a better sleep and woke up more relaxed
• More physical energy
• Sporadic and strange aches and pains drastically decreased
• Skin irritations stopped

Time

• Felt like I got weekends
• Felt like I got weeknights
• I had choice about what I could do
• More time to work on projects I cared about

Relationships

• More positive relationships showed up
• My mind wasn't preoccupied when with my wife
• My mind wasn't preoccupied when with my children
• Time to enjoy friends again
• Let go of the emotional weight of problem people

Living Life

• Felt more relaxed
• Able to enjoy my hobbies
• Got to join my wife working in the garden again
• Made some long-needed and healthy decisions
• Established clearer standards of who I would allow to take up my time and emotional energy
• Brought my life into line with the truths I believed

Opportunity

• Dreaming about possibilities again
• Got to take what I learned and help others
• Became alive to God opening up new doors of possibility

Emotional

• More contentment with my circumstances
• Brighter outlook on life
• Felt like my emotional energy was being renewed
• Sense of regaining control (in the good sense)
• Relief from the pressure of continuous worry

Reflecting on A Journey Through Burnout

You didn't get into burnout overnight and you won't get out overnight. Here are some more specific reflections from this professional.

• When it came to living life in general I felt more relaxed. Who is to say what the greatest benefit is but this one stands out. You can’t live with adrenaline levels always on high. You need to feel relaxed and able to regroup, like you have had some down time in the midst of a busy life. I got that back.

• I was able to enjoy a hobby again. I could get out to do projects and relax. I was able to mow the lawn and do all those small maintenance items that a property and house needs.

• I made some long-needed and healthy decisions. We always tried to eat healthy, and we committed to this even more. I became much more aware of the need of correct exercise to keep myself in shape and healthy. 

• I regained time to be by myself to recharge and to reflect. Until all this happened, I tried to find time to dream and plan. Then that time just evaporated in the everyday struggle of what I had to do. I think reflection is one of the key aspects of leadership. It was squeezed and now the possibility of it was open again.

• Emotionally I became more content with my circumstances. Some of the things I had found myself resisting and complaining about looked different and I could rest with them. I had a brighter outlook on life. I felt like my emotional energy was being renewed. That gave me a sense of regaining control and a relief from the pressure of worry.

• Once again, I was experiencing the freshness of front-line leadership and business. More often than not, I relished and anticipated it. Really, I was just able to get on with it in a whole new and refreshed way.

• I really did not believe that God had an agenda to burn me out. I began experiencing a fresh willingness to let Him make needed changes in me, to allow Him to take care of me, and not tell him I was too busy for it. All of this has given me a greater appreciation of God’s love for me in my everyday circumstances.

How to obtain the benefits of work life balance. 

What This May Mean for You

The account of this leader shows the importance of work life balance in his life. He knew it had been compromised. After dealing with burnout he felt he gained back so much. So, how does his experience relate to you?

• For some, dealing with burnout may mean finally realizing that you are mismatched with the career you are currently in.

• For many others, it will mean changing some of your thinking and the way you do things, in order to be more effective moving forward.

• And for others it will mean responding to that toxic environment or person putting so much strain on you.

You can read more about balance and performance here. 

The Importance of Work Life Balance

I take particular satisfaction in seeing individuals and organizations doing well and knowing I have made a significant contribution to that happening.

I take no satisfaction in seeing men and women experiencing sustained overload or burnout when there is a way through it.

Should you choose to access one on one executive coaching to deal with your burnout you can rest assured your time with me will be private, confidential and productive. I invite you to contact me.

I want to see you beat burnout, work more effectively, and thrive.