Work life balance in the 21st century

Is it possible to have work life balance in the 21st century?

Why don’t you take a few seconds and really think about this?

And before you give me an answer, maybe you would like to stop banging on your keyboards for a few seconds, take off your fingers from your iphone or Crackberry – that’s the beautiful Blackberry that cracks you up?

You and I are living in a 24/7, on line, high-tech global market place and the elusive quest for work/life balance remains as it is. Elusive.

Add to this is the fact that there are many jobs that have been eliminated. Many people I know have ventured into entrepreneurial endeavors while others are into consultancy. So what has happened is that you and I have become a WorkLife Nation. And we need to recognize this new culture that has been placed upon us.

Slowly going away is the old days of eight to five and then going home, having dinner and watching television as a family. First of all there is the terrible traffic in the Metro which sucks away precious time and productivity. And then there are the on-line-all-the-time devices we work on almost all the time. This is a new multi-faceted picture of how we work and live that would require a new way of dealing with new challenges that are forcing us to embrace more flexibility at work and in our family lives.

There are two situations that contribute to this condition:

1. Jobs are scarce. People are scared. And so we have witnessed many of our colleagues being let go and thus we want to work hard so as to secure our good standing at work. This greatly blurs work and life as working way beyond the required work life becomes the norm.

2. Others have opted to resign from their full time job. Bought a franchise, joined a direct marketing company or go into insurance or real estate selling. Their brand new entrepreneurial lives make them work harder than when they were working full time in an eight to five job. These people know that they cannot afford to be complacent as performance appraisals are now replaced with efforts in gaining market share or working hard on brand recognition. These are rewiring their careers and taking more risks and are getting more stressed.

You can no longer talk about work-life balance when there is the worklife merge happening right this very moment. The word balance means equilibrium and this will be hard to maintain. So stop looking for balance and start facing the facts and learn how to manage it. You may take responsibility of your Worklife by embracing the following principles:

1. KNOW THE BREAKS

Give yourself permission to take periodic breaks or else you will break down. Wind down even for a few minutes a day. Take time to exercise and be careful with the food you eat. Read a good book or watch a movie every now and then.

2. NO SMALL TASKS NEGLECTED

• Learn to take joy even in chores. Doing the laundry, washing the car, making phone calls just set a few goals for yourself each day. Do not push aside small tasks. Procrastination will add more stress to you in a future time.

3. KNOW THYSELF

• You and your job are not the same. Know your personal identity independent of your business image. This way you will stay cool even if what you are doing does not seem to work. Work on your hobbies. Volunteer yourself in helping your community.

• This is the real you in action and not the business that controls you.

4. EXPAND THYSELF

• What is it that you love doing if time and money is not a problem? This means you pursue your passion and explore your own field of creativity. Some people go into arts, music or even public speaking. This provides joy and fulfilment.

5. INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS

• Who are the most important people in your life? These are the same people who would cry in your funeral. So why not make your relationships with them pleasant?

• A close and loving family is the best means to put a lot of sense and joy into your life.

If you notice, the steps to take in order to live your WorkLife is has nothing to do with being passive. It still involves actions and activities.

Life is too short. Do not live the rest of your life in ignorance and despair.

Live your life to the full and enjoy each moment God has given you.–Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star)

(Francis Kong will do a repeat of his highly successful “Culture of Personal Excellence on Nov. 26, 2009 at the Garden Ballroom of EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. 632-6872614 or 09178511115)