Time out! Work/Life Balance under Scrutiny!

Well the broken foot is healing nicely, and I am now out of plaster!

Wendy and I are great believers in things happening for a reason, and besides the lesson of allowing others to help out, the accident has also given me time out to think more about how I am living my life.

I have been a workaholic for longer than I care to remember and since meeting Wendy have recognised that I still have had an overwhelming inner drive that occasionally results in ‘burn out’, where I just need some time to myself.

I recall during my corporate days working for a couple of global data/IT companies in Basingstoke & Slough, that most of us felt compelled to work long hours, very often taking work home with us, staying in the office late (9pm was not unheard of and sometimes later!), missing lunchtimes etc and yet there was always more to do.

We each had our own personal motivations for doing this, for some of us it was the satisfaction of a job well done, for others it was the career progression and personal development prospects, for some a fear of their productivity levels, and for others just a desire to avoid letting the side down and each reason was absolutely valid for each person.

What is underlying these motivations?

For me, it was fear. Fear of failure (I had low self esteem and confidence, believing everyone was better than me)and also, knowing that I was the breadwinner of the family, so there was a responsibility to make sure that I was earning well.

Since going out on my own, I have addressed the fear of failure, with a mixture of NLP and hypnosis, which has also meant that I no longer worry so much about the money knowing that it will always work out for me.

So my broken foot was just a great opportunity to take a long, hard look at how I approach my working life now and with some objectivity – to see some of the superficiality of some of the tasks I was doing, recognising the ones I disliked and have actually enjoyed not doing, and the things I love and like and have still managed to do, even from home.

I believe those who work long hours, need to look very closely at what they are striving to achieve. Is it success? Personal growth? Happiness? Money? or maybe it is a fear of something? Avoiding something?

Being aware is the first step in addressing a problem, and one of my recommendations if you are feeling under pressure to work long hours, is to take a long hard look at what is behind it.

We owe it to ourselves to make sure that we are looking after number 1 - us! It is a bit like a bank account, if you always make withdrawals and never pay in, eventually you will go overdrawn. Similarly, if you always invest heavily in your work life and pay scant attention to you, there will be a price to pay!

Remember, no-one is indispensable, so start to be kind to yourself and recognise that whilst work is important, so are you!