A lot of us don’t understand the importance of a work/life balance, some of us tend to groan out loud and assume it’s just some sort of mumbo jumbo - a new buzzword added to our increasing nanny state. But the fact is too many of us focus on work these days and neglect our personal lives, which inevitably affects relationships with family and friends.
This is creating negative long term effects, it has even been suggested that young people are now avoiding having children in order to focus on their career, which is very sad. There’s no need to for work to dominate your life; sure, it’s important but what’s more important? Family or work?
Family and friends are there to enjoy life with; work is there to support your responsibilities. Our work life blend is becoming a vicious cycle, when we’re not in work we feel guilty for missing out on what needs to be done, which ends up with stress and affecting time with those that matter. In fact, a study from Accenture [http://newsroom.accenture.com/news/accenture-research-finds-most-professionals-believe-they-can-have-it-all.htm] found that having a good work life balance is actually the key to a successful career!
For example, phones and iPads should be removed during dinner time to give us time to connect directly. We all need to start prioritising better, and understanding that our work expectations are too high.
The three main negative effects of not having a work/life balance are:
· Feeling tired – work suffers.
· Missed time with family and friends – there are too many important moments that would be terrible if we missed.
· Increased expectations – if you go above and beyond with your work, your boss will come to expect it.
It’s important for everyone to have a balanced life because this goes a long way to being more productive at work!
Related articles:
Managing your work/life balance
Secrets to maximising family time
