Tag Archives: work life balance

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Are You Spending Way Too Much Time At Work?

Do you come home feeling tired and exhausted from spending way too much time at work? Are you addicted to doing copious amounts of overtime that you walk in the door only to fall in a heap just like this cat?

If you said ‘yes’ then read on.

You see I was sitting on the couch the other night watching a bit of TV (which by the way is extremely rare for me to do), and an interesting program caught my eye.

It was called ‘No Leave, No Life’.

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The actual title of program (http://www.noleavenolife.com/) really caught my eye because I thought – how true a statement is that!?
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You really do have no life if you have no leave or time off, built into it.
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Now the program centres around people who have worked tirelessly for years without taking any time off. They are given a surprise when the host of the program arrives in their workplace and whisks them away on a well deserved mini-break.
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With their respective partners in tow, they are treated like royalty as they soak up the atmosphere at idyllic locations around Australia. It’s a real wake-up call to highlight the importance of taking some time out to enjoy some ‘R&R’ and that there is certainly more to life than just work, work, work!

Now I’m not saying that working hard is bad. On the contrary, if you work very hard it can lead you to some fantastic opportunities.

But it’s all about striking that right balance because hard work can certainly be detrimental to your well-being. You see, when you become a work-a-holic you tend to give up your hobbies and forget how to enjoy life. Life isn’t meant to be all work and no play – it’s imperative that you readjust your scales and incorporate more ‘fun’ back into your life!

Here’s some interesting facts that might help you to reduce your time at work.

1. According to a 2002 study in the British Medical Journal, employees with stressful jobs are twice as likely to die from heart disease as those who have jobs with little or no stress.

2. Employees who work over forty-eight hours per week double their risk of heart disease, according to a 1996 UK government report.

3. According to a 2003 American study, long-term job strain is worse for your heart than gaining forty pounds in weight or aging thirty years.

So the key is simply not to overdo things. Go into work, do the best job that you possibly can and then come home and spend some time with your family and friends.

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Take your days off – don’t keep putting your hand up to do overtime, week in and week out.
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The extra money can be great, but if you’re not around to enjoy it then what’s the point.
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Work/Life Balance – Are You and Your Scales Out Of Balance?

As we close the blinds and lock up shop for 2009, many of us become obsessed with one New Years Resolution in particular – and that’s to lose weight.

We become fixated (and horrified) at the number that appears on our bathroom scales that we begin a gruelling health and fitness campaign that would impress even the most elite athletes.

But what about your work/life balance? Have you sat down and really analysed how those scales are tipping at the moment?

If not, then now might be the time to start.

To say that most of our lives today are incredibly busy would have to be a massive understatement. We have so many commitments both at work and at home that sometimes everything just gets out of balance.

All of a sudden your 2 year old child is graduating from high school and wanting to get a drivers licence. So, what happened to those years in between??

You see, it’s imperative that you set aside some quality time to spend with your family and friends because life is short – very short.

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We become obsessed with doing things that we think are important and that are going to make us happy – when in fact our health, family and friends are the most important.

So not only should you lock in some time to do exercise, but you also need to allocate some time to relax and spend some quality time with your family and friends.

Time is your most precious resource – you can never get it back. So make sure it’s not being consumed totally by work.

So as you begin your New Year in 2010 – don’t just analyse your bathroom scales. Make sure that you have a healthy balance between your work environment, your recreation and free time, as well as in the relationships with those that are closest to you.