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Achieving a Better Family and Work Balance Makes
for Better Job Performance
Are you constantly working after hours and weekends at the
office? Are beginning to forget what your family even looks
like? Many people find themselves in this predicament. Work
seems to get more and more demanding with every passing day,
and to stay on top of your game at work, you feel like you need
to put in long hours. The flipside to this is that of course
when you are at the office, you are away from home – away from
family dinners, play time and your kids’ sporting events or
school plays. You may feel like your hands are tied – that no
matter how much you want to be more involved with your family
life, you have to keep working as hard as ever to make sure
your family is provided for in the long run. The truth is,
however, that you may be doing yourself a disservice on both
fronts. Studies have shown time and again that well rested
workers with well balanced lives are more productive in the
time they do spend working. In the end, the best way to be a
stand out worker at the office is to be fully involved and
present in your family live.
But wait, you say, “I’m working practically around the clock
now, and everything still isn’t getting done.” However, maybe
the problem isn’t that you aren’t working hard enough. Maybe
the problem instead is that you aren’t working smart enough.
Think about the way you spend you working day. Are you taking
on more responsibility than you need to, instead of delegating
tasks to others? Are you spending a lot of time chatting in the
break room when you run for a cup of coffee? Are you
procrastinating so that big projects require you to work
all-nighters instead of spreading out the work? Keep a journal
of all of your activities at work for a few days. You might be
surprised to see how you are really spending your time and in
what areas you could make improvements. Simply staying on task
and delegating effectively could get you home in time for
dinner.
When you have done everything you can to make your work habits
as productive as possible, it is time to turn to other ways to
balance your work life and your family life. Rule number one is
the hardest one for most people to follow you – draw clear
lines of distinction between work time and family time. Family
time isn’t really family time if you are constantly on your
cell phone making and receiving work calls or if you are on
your laptop for the entire family vacation. When you’re working
– work. When you’re with your family – concentrate on them. The
time you spend actually taking a breather from work will
recharge your batteries and make you a better worker when work
time rolls around again.
Next, you have to evaluate your priorities. Maybe working
around the clock will help you make partner faster, but at what
cost? Decide if seeing your daughter’s soccer game every week
is more important to you than moving up the corporate ladder
quickly, and make adjustments in your schedule appropriately.
There is no right or wrong answer, but deciding where you
priorities lie will make scheduling easier for you. With your
priorities in mind, see what work options are available to you
to help you meet them. If you want more time with the kids, see
if your office offers flex time or part time hours to help you
meet your family commitments.
Last but not least, don’t feel guilty about taking time with
your family. Not only is this time important to your family,
you can rest assured that the time out from the office stress
will make you more productive when you return to work.
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