photo courtesy of Kostya Kisleyko, Russia

When my brothers and I were kids, we loved hitting the playground so we could play on the teeter-totter.  We all knew that in order to balance and not have one of us sitting on the ground while the lighter one was held captive in the air, we needed to adjust where we sat.

No one could do it for us.

So why would we grow up and imagine that someone else is going to step in and adjust where we sit?  That’s right, I am talking about being in charge of your own work/life balance.  While you are doing your job…

…use these suggestions for adding balance to your life:

1.       No time to exercise?

Wake up an hour earlier

2.       Needing to eat a healthy diet?

Shop accordingly and try making your lunch

3.       Working too much overtime?

Ask your boss to prioritize most important items and THEN  leave the office at a decent hour.

4.       Always putting out fires?

Gain clarity on what the true emergencies are and reschedule the other items to be dealt with calmly.

The list goes on.  When I make suggestions like these to my clients, at first they protest and argue that one or more of these is not possible, often providing excuses for why none of the recommendations will work.

Until they try them

Take your vacations – unplugged.  Go home to your families.  Do something fun with your significant other.  Go away on the weekend.  Join a sports team and commit to them.

As soon as my clients begin applying the recommendations for setting their own boundaries, adjusting their lives to HAVE a life, and paying attention to their families and health they come back and thank me.

Remarkably – most others at work barely notice and the ones who notice respect how much better my client looks and deals with their job.

Patti Blackstaffe, President of Strategic Sense Inc, is a Speaker, Strategic Advisor and Trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition.You can book her to speak at her personal page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Read what folks have to say about her eBook Leadership XXL: 11 Practical Steps to Living Leadership Extra, Extra Large.

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