Time to Assess Your Work/Life Balance?

Does your life seem like drudgery? Do you feel tired and burned out? Are you easily upset or angry? Or is your life filled with happiness and positive thoughts? Are you excited at the prospect of living each day to its fullest? Do you look forward to your next day at work? Are you enthused and energized by your work and your personal life?

If you answered yes to the first three questions and no to the last four, you should assess your personal and work-life balance. It may be out of kilter. You may want to try this:

Visualize your life/work balance as a graph going from 1 (awful life) to 100 (euphoric happiness). You are somewhere on that scale. What number would you assign to yourself at this point in your life? Realizing that the number is in all probability constantly changing, what number would you assign as an average?

Are you pleased with that number? Do you need to move it closer to 100? Here are some steps you may wish to consider:

If you are a workaholic, set some personal goals. If you are pleasure seeker, set some work goals. Balance your life. Become clear in your thinking regarding your personal, professional, and play goals. Make your goals clear and attainable. If you know where you are going, you are much more likely to know when you get there.

Answer questions such as Who am I? What are my work goals? What would give me happiness in my personal life?

Although achieving a work and personal balance may come incrementally, it will happen as you work toward the achievement of your goals. Visualize your ideal life. Dream and write down those items that are important to you in both your work and personal life. Compile an attainable wish list.

Spend less time watching television, maybe even turn it off for good. Studies have shown that watching TV creates depression. Instead, focus your attention on your interests and watch your energy increase.

Are you good with your hands? Do you need to develop an area of your home or garage that will enhance your natural personal abilities? Are your mechanically inclined? Fix something. Develop a hobby that will appeal to that natural ability.

Are you creative? Knit, paint or design some crafts. Are you fascinated by history? Read.

Each of us is different, has different abilities, and different interests. That is what makes each of us unique from everyone else. What is unique about you? Do you sing? Join a chorus. Do you have strong written communication skills? Write a book, poetry or something that relates to your interests.

Keep a written account or journal of your life. It will help you realize where you started, where you are and where you need to go as you progress through your life.

Make every weekend and vacation a special time. Do something fun. Exercise for 20 or 30 minutes several days a week. Read books and publications that inspire you. Develop some positive slogans or shibboleths that you can repeat to yourself when you feel your attitude slipping.

Go to bed earlier, get up earlier and give yourself some personal time in the morning. Let go of people and things that are holding you back. Delete those activities in your life that are nonproductive.

Reprioritize what is important to you in your personal and work life. Go out of your way to recontact old friends and relatives. Rebuild those relationships that will benefit your happiness, and make the other person happy in the process as well.

You deserve happiness in your personal and work life. Make it happen. Life is too short to live in drudgery and unhappiness.