How to Balance Home and Work

Missed another dinner party or recital because you were stuck at the
office? Do you spend weekends catching up on work rather than being
with your family or friends? The trick to creating a healthy balance is
to be conscious of what you're doing and when you're doing it.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

1. Read 16 Set Goals and ask yourself what really matters. To create the life you want, first define what's most important to you, then develop a plan that helps you prioritize and balance those things.

2. Assess your financial needs (see 228 Design a Savings Plan) to see if you or your spouse can cut back on work hours.

3. Find out if your employer will allow telecommuting, job sharing or a part-time schedule. Look into child care assistance (for emergencies, during spring break and the holiday season, see 263 Arrange Quality Child Care); employee assistance on topics such as stress and time management; educational and training opportunities; and fitness membership assistance.

4. Put a cap on time spent on work whether you are in an office or at home. Let your family and co-workers know what those limits are. With clear parameters you'll work more effectively, and your family may be more supportive. When the time is up, stop working and focus on your family. Make vacations strictly off-limits for work.

5. Learn how to switch gears. Turn off your computer at 5:30 p.m. Stop multitasking at dinnertime so you can focus fully on your kids or spouse. Make 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. a no-phone zone.

6. Keep the clutter at bay. Prepare a house maintenance schedule and stick to it. If you can afford it, have your house cleaned on a weekly or biweekly basis. A well-maintained house requires less work to keep clean, which results in more time for family and fun. See 1 Get Organized, 37 Conquer Clutter and 36 Tidy Up in 15 Minutes.

7. Resist the urge to fill your family's time with scheduled activities. Practice, lessons and clubs will keep everyone's calendars full and stress levels high. Allow for completely unscheduled free time--even if it feels odd at first. See 266 Coordinate a Family Calendar.

8. Ask your family to use whatever message system you've set up (see 265 Create a Household Organizer).

9. Use the weekend for a real change of pace. If you work at a computer all day, crank up the volume on the weekend with a bike ride, gardening or a trip to a nearby park (see 452 Plan a Tour of the National Parks). If, however, you're racing nonstop all week long, then bask in quiet indolence come Saturday.

10. Build in time that's just for you. Make trades with your spouse to get time off from the house, the chores and the kids. Stay connected to friends. Make it a priority to work out and find a way to make it fun (see 25 Design Your Workout Schedule).

11. Do a status check every six months. Review your goals and your priorities. Continue to pare down belongings, commitments and responsibilities until you find a mix that works for you.

Tips & Warnings

• Take advantage of maternity and paternity leaves, sabbaticals, and other companysponsored programs when available. See 162 Plan a Sabbatical and 256 Set Up Maternity or Paternity Leave.
• If the stress is overwhelming, talk to a professional therapist. Your work's human resources department may be able to confidentially refer you to counseling that's covered by your insurance.

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[zemzem82]

on 1/25/2009 great article- zemzem.ecrater.com

[offgrid]

on 12/20/2008 Good advise. Family is the most important thing in someone's life - remember that and you'll keep work in it's proper perspective. On your death bed we won't hear you complaining that you should have spent more time at work but you may wish you had spent more time with your family.

[Sidekick]

on 11/16/2007 Good practical tips for a prevalent problem in our society. Well done.