I notice that organisations are seemingly paying much more attention to their people’s welfare nowadays and in particular are encouraging us all to get our work-life balance correct. It’s strange but I have always thought that asking people to balance these two things is like trying to balance on a two-wheel bike for the first time! It’s not easy. Splitting it between work and life is also worrying. it’s as if work isn’t life!
Instead of two points of contact with the real world why not try three. As any milkmaid knows (are there any of those out there any more?) the three-legged stool is always stable. No matter how rough or uneven the surface all three legs will be firmly pressed onto the ground.
And so it is with the work, home and self balance. You need to focus on these three, not more not less as this becomes unstable on rocky ground.
All three are equally important. They are attached and should not be entirely separate, more of an integrated activity that overlap each other.
For us to be truly satisfied and content (the FutureMapping definition of success) all three must be in balance and full.
Just to define what we mean:-
Work items are things you do where someone else pays you money for achieving a result. Essentially they are buying your time or effort in one way or another.
Home are things we do or time we take to create a place to live with which sometimes includes our family or friends.
Self are things you do to satisfy your need to be you. Time you spend on yourself keeping you healthy and building (repairing at times) your self-esteem.
You can see how they overlap and can be a different size or quantity. Occasionally it’s a good idea to check out where the balance lies as this could reveal the root of some feelings of disquiet or unhappiness you might have.
Talking to people the one area that seems to be lacking in peoples lives does not seem to be work or home but the greatest area of neglect is self.
It’s worth taking a while and analysing how much time you are spending or how many activities you are completing in each area. Actually doing this in itself is time spent on your Self and is a really good starting point for your FutureMapping journey.
If you want to talk to someone about this, you can book a call with us when you become a FreeMapper or a FutureMapper. to do so simply register here with us.