As an experienced finance professional, there’s no doubt that the concept of “work-life balance” is familiar to you. Whether or not you feel you have a good balance right now, we probably each have our own interpretation of what balance might look like to us. To me, as a career coach, work-life balance doesn’t mean a perfect 50/50 split of one’s time. Rather, it means management of time to ensure that high professional performance can exist alongside other important aspects of life.
Considering work-life balance from this perspective can help you to move past the “hustle culture”, the notion that spending more time at work will lead to career success. Follow through in this article as I explore the benefits of having a balanced work-life.
Types of Work-Life Balance
If you’re looking to succeed in your career, then it’s worth knowing that true work-life balance is not necessarily about shutting down your work computer at 5 pm each evening. In my professional opinion as a career coach, achieving work-life balance is rather a 3-part strategy which includes:
- Firstly, the classic boundary between work and other non-work periods. Taking a physical break is important, as is having a mental break, so that you don’t find yourself dwelling on work when you are not working.
- Secondly, you should be able to create a time balance between your own time and time for others, such as family or team members. You will struggle with being a present partner or manager if you are constantly thinking about work or doing work that should be done by others. The risk is that your priorities may be too blurred, you may not spend time focusing on the right things, and you could ultimately burn out.
- Thirdly, there needs to be a balance between your current work demands and your professional development. If all you do is solve the problems of today, you may not pay attention to the skills required for your career success tomorrow.
Why Professionals Should Prioritise Work-Life Balance
I’m sure we can all appreciate that life is not always a bed of roses. This means that some days (or longer periods) will be full and chaotic, and you may have tasks with deadlines demanding extra hours, and that’s okay – in the short-term. Work-life balance doesn’t come on a daily or weekly basis but is rather something you achieve over a period of time through conscious efforts.
Work can be exciting, stimulating, and sometimes all-consuming. Your creativity, health and quality of work will drop if you place your attention on work alone for a very long period of time. This is the reason you should prioritise work-life balance so that you will have a truly sustainable career. Taking a break or resting is not a sign that you are not serious about your work; it is a prerequisite for a sustainable, successful career.
Risks From Lack of Work-Life Balance
It may feel contradictory, but if you ignore work-life balance, you could be making a high-risk move in your career. You’ll likely experience physical symptoms such as tiredness, chronic stress, and eventually full-blown ill health. All of these can lead to burnout, which will result in an absence of productivity and passion – one that’s often completely outside of our control. You can read more about the impact of a lack of a balanced work-life in my blog post here.
As a career coach, I also know of subtle professional risks attached to ignoring work-life balance. You will allow yourself to spend so much time doing the work of others while your own priorities are not attended to, or you will get so weighed down by the “here and now” of operations that you trash your career development and growth. If you understand what and why you should have a work-life balance, you will avoid these pitfalls.
How You Can Build Sustainable Work-Life Balance
To create your own sustainable work-life balance, start with a commitment to regular self-audits. Check in periodically (yet consistently) across these 3 key dimensions:
- The split between work and non-work,
- The time you give yourself against the time you give others, and
- The time and energy you spend on today’s tasks versus your future career growth.
You are the most important component of your career. You have to be intentional about how you show up, and this practically means that understanding and achieving work-life balance is a personal thing. It is also vital that you go about this in a realistic way while being kind to yourself. Things can get messy, and your ideal balance may shift as your circumstances change.
To ease your journey towards a balanced work-life, make use of tools and techniques that can help you, and stick to using them; such tools include the Eisenhower matrix and time-blocking tools, which can be helpful here. Stay adaptable and proactive while aiming for a work-life balance that works for you.
Balance can mean different things at work. Finding the right balance for you in your career will come in different dimensions and across time; this is critical for you to lead a healthy life and for a sustainable and successful career.
You deserve nothing short of a successful career, and that is why signing up for our online course in Work-Life Balance can get you onto the right path for success.
