How would you rate yourself on work/life balance? Take the quiz…
Work/life balance has never been easy.
For those of us raising families, working full-time jobs, continuing our own professional development, giving back to our communities, and dealing with the unexpected and, at times, painful events in life can most definitely be challenging.
To top it off, the pandemic hasn’t helped.
Now, working from home has presented brand new challenges—the blending of work and life.
-> -> -> Setting boundaries and even being clear on WHAT we need, much less making SPACE for what we need, can seem nearly impossible.
But setting boundaries for ourselves in work and life isn’t just important on a personal level.
It’s important on a professional level. And here’s why…
“WHO you are is HOW YOU LEAD, and how you lead determines the CULTURE and SUCCESS of your team and organization.”
When I teach The Coach Approach to Leadership™ principles, my clients hear me say this over and over again. It’s our mantra.
***We know that when you are your BEST SELF, you bring your BEST SELF to work.***
And your “best self”—the version of you that is filled up, happy, engaged and making time for what matters most to you (a.k.a. operating in alignment with your most important values)—will produce breakthrough results for your organization. It’s NOT selfish to take care of yourself.
And, it all starts with leadership.
***As a leader, this is even more important, because you have people who depend on you AND who watch you as an example.***
If you aren’t making work/life balance a priority and setting the boundaries that align with your core values, they won’t either. And your team will suffer for it.
BUT, when you set an example of what it looks like to take care of your WHOLE self, and to make space for what’s important, it will give your team permission to do the same. And they will bring the best version of themselves to work too.
Here’s a brief quiz to help you explore your own work/life balance:
(1) Each person defines a healthy ‘balance’ differently—what is the definition of ‘balance’ for YOU? Is it maybe less about ‘balance’ and more about ‘harmony’? How does your ideal look for you?
(2) Is your time governed by your choices or by the demands & expectations of others? If yes, how does this affect you, your family, your team?
(3) Do you make space in your life for the things that inspire you / bring you joy? (OR…Do you know what it is that inspires or brings you joy?)
(4) What are you tolerating or procrastinating in either your personal or professional life that you really need or want to address?
These questions are a great place to start becoming more intentional about creating the balance/harmony you want.
What things are you doing to help create a healthier work/life balance?