"Make your work part of your life, and there’s nothing wrong with that."
As someone who is experienced in the recruiting game, I believe there are two kinds of people in the workforce: People who demand work life balance and are constantly stressed over how their work is taking over their lives, and people who welcome work into their lives and allow work to be part of their lifestyle.
Can you really say "workaholics" don't have a life, when, really, their jobs are part of who they are, as much as their hobbies and interests and family and relationships?
I came across an article on written by one of my ex-clients, and it resonates so much with me that I felt the need to share it here today.
Originally posted by Jake Chen on Linkedin:
I hear you. Work-life balance. We all want that. A good balance of different parts in life makes us whole. But ask for it the wrong way, and you risk sounding like a whining child not wanting to accept your adult responsibilities.
As someone who is experienced in the recruiting game, I believe there are two kinds of people in the workforce: People who demand work life balance and are constantly stressed over how their work is taking over their lives, and people who welcome work into their lives and allow work to be part of their lifestyle.
Can you really say "workaholics" don't have a life, when, really, their jobs are part of who they are, as much as their hobbies and interests and family and relationships?
I came across an article on written by one of my ex-clients, and it resonates so much with me that I felt the need to share it here today.
Originally posted by Jake Chen on Linkedin:
How to get work-life balance without asking for it
So how can you get work-life balance, without asking for it?
1. Stop the balancing act
Even as a topic that consistently tops the charts in employee happiness surveys, talent attraction laws, work motivators and the likes, I think work-life balance is a little old-fashioned. This is a connotation that work is bad and life is good; that work begins in the morning and ends in the evening, where life takes over.
I’d like to think of it as work-life harmony, and to bring the two together means you will have to start connecting the dots. We want to enjoy life because it is meant to be interesting, adventurous, and meaningful. So go get yourself a job that gives you the same satisfaction you'd derive from life. If you love adventure, an outdoors job may suit you better than an indoors one. Do things you're passionate about, that itself will give meaning to your job, and remember that being great doesn't happen only in the day.
Or choose to play to your strengths and weaknesses. Some people choose jobs that they’re naturally good at. This raises their self-esteem. Have you ever had that one relative or friend, who just can’t stop talking about their jobs with brimming enthusiasm? Others go down the route of selecting jobs which stretches them and forces them out of their comfort zones. And that becomes a personal challenge in which they strive to grow every day. Make your work part of your life, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Even as a topic that consistently tops the charts in employee happiness surveys, talent attraction laws, work motivators and the likes, I think work-life balance is a little old-fashioned. This is a connotation that work is bad and life is good; that work begins in the morning and ends in the evening, where life takes over.
I’d like to think of it as work-life harmony, and to bring the two together means you will have to start connecting the dots. We want to enjoy life because it is meant to be interesting, adventurous, and meaningful. So go get yourself a job that gives you the same satisfaction you'd derive from life. If you love adventure, an outdoors job may suit you better than an indoors one. Do things you're passionate about, that itself will give meaning to your job, and remember that being great doesn't happen only in the day.
Or choose to play to your strengths and weaknesses. Some people choose jobs that they’re naturally good at. This raises their self-esteem. Have you ever had that one relative or friend, who just can’t stop talking about their jobs with brimming enthusiasm? Others go down the route of selecting jobs which stretches them and forces them out of their comfort zones. And that becomes a personal challenge in which they strive to grow every day. Make your work part of your life, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
2. Stay focused
There are so many aspects of life that we need to manage, and there will be times we get thrown off track. When things get messy, work becomes the convenient scapegoat. It becomes easy for us to blame work for sucking the life out of us.
One way of staying focused is to think about one thing at a time. Sounds much simpler than it actually is. The dynamism and unpredictability of today’s environment makes it hard for us to do that. We are constantly prioritizing, re-prioritizing, and over prioritizing. Stop thinking and start doing! It is liberating when you start to pick up pace, and the more you do, the shorter the list becomes, and the clearer your mind is.
There are so many aspects of life that we need to manage, and there will be times we get thrown off track. When things get messy, work becomes the convenient scapegoat. It becomes easy for us to blame work for sucking the life out of us.
One way of staying focused is to think about one thing at a time. Sounds much simpler than it actually is. The dynamism and unpredictability of today’s environment makes it hard for us to do that. We are constantly prioritizing, re-prioritizing, and over prioritizing. Stop thinking and start doing! It is liberating when you start to pick up pace, and the more you do, the shorter the list becomes, and the clearer your mind is.
3. Set a performance driven culture
In raw form, this means I don't care how much time or effort you spend, I just want the job done. Employers love performance driven cultures because they want results, period. So much so that companies have offered solutions like working from home, flexible hours, unlimited vacation (provided you deliver), no-KPI structure, you have seen it all happened.
To the employee, this is simple math. If you wanted more time for personal pursuits, make sure you work twice as hard - in half the time. Take ownership of your goals and prove that you will do whatever it takes to deliver results, on time. Better yet, ahead of time.
It's an all-win situation when this culture starts to create a workforce that is primed for results rather than one which exists to chalk up hours. So if you haven’t, start drawing up your work targets according to what you want to achieve, not what you need to do.
In raw form, this means I don't care how much time or effort you spend, I just want the job done. Employers love performance driven cultures because they want results, period. So much so that companies have offered solutions like working from home, flexible hours, unlimited vacation (provided you deliver), no-KPI structure, you have seen it all happened.
To the employee, this is simple math. If you wanted more time for personal pursuits, make sure you work twice as hard - in half the time. Take ownership of your goals and prove that you will do whatever it takes to deliver results, on time. Better yet, ahead of time.
It's an all-win situation when this culture starts to create a workforce that is primed for results rather than one which exists to chalk up hours. So if you haven’t, start drawing up your work targets according to what you want to achieve, not what you need to do.
4. Build relationships
You are not perfect. You are not the best in everything. You do not know it all.
Having friends and networks that you can rely on is critical to your effectiveness at work. Organizational goals today are contemporary and complex, read: it cannot be achieved through solo effort. You will often need someone else’s skill, knowledge, or expertise to push your agenda. This will call upon your ability to inspire and motivate people to run according to your pace. Remember, you are trying to get to your objective as quickly as possible so that you can have more work-life balance.
Start building relationships. This should be one of the very first things you do in the workplace. Building relationships do not start and end with a handshake. It is about showing appreciation, encouraging one another, making yourself available for others first, being interested, being genuinely involved and treat others’ problems as though they were your own. People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
You are not perfect. You are not the best in everything. You do not know it all.
Having friends and networks that you can rely on is critical to your effectiveness at work. Organizational goals today are contemporary and complex, read: it cannot be achieved through solo effort. You will often need someone else’s skill, knowledge, or expertise to push your agenda. This will call upon your ability to inspire and motivate people to run according to your pace. Remember, you are trying to get to your objective as quickly as possible so that you can have more work-life balance.
Start building relationships. This should be one of the very first things you do in the workplace. Building relationships do not start and end with a handshake. It is about showing appreciation, encouraging one another, making yourself available for others first, being interested, being genuinely involved and treat others’ problems as though they were your own. People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
5. Work for Google
If all else fails and you can’t find work life balance, work for Google. It’s in their job description. No, it's their way of life.
Do you have work-life balance? To me, there's no such thing. I have work-life harmony.
Have a great weekend ahead! =D
If all else fails and you can’t find work life balance, work for Google. It’s in their job description. No, it's their way of life.
Do you have work-life balance? To me, there's no such thing. I have work-life harmony.
Have a great weekend ahead! =D
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