Have you ever had this said to you? "All you ever do is work."
I think many of us at some point or another has heard that phrase from the people in our lives, but I'd like to say that I'm not suggesting we shortchange our work life in order to have a personal life. I believe that work is a part of life, we all need to provide for our families and it's especially meaningful if you have passion for what you do.
What things do you love to do? Spend time with family and friends, read, cook, volunteer, a hobby, exercise - what's on your list of favorite things to do?
Work might very well be on that list. Or perhaps it's not the work you're doing today but what you want to be doing at some point.
How do you spend your time? Are you currently working long hours? What do you do before work? How about after work? Do you ever take a day or even a half day off? When it comes to work it's important to think about how much of that time spent working is doing the things you love about your work. Does it make you want to spring out of bed in the morning or do you dread it? Perhaps you're missing balance.
Look at your list of favorite things to do - are you incorporating them into your day/week? Can you make room for them? Is it possible to get help in certain areas to free up some time to do those things? For those of us that are type A's it's often very hard to let go, say no and not be in control of every aspect of our work. But what are the alternatives? Will be so tied to our work that there's no one there at the end of the day to enjoy the fruits of our labor?
Finding balance between all the things you love - those things on your list and yes, work too, will ensure that you are providing a complete life experience for yourself and the people in your life. Think about it, if you're cooped up in an office all day and into the night, you could easily see that exercise might be lacking or you're feeling the effects of burnout. Think about how great it feels to be walking down the street on a nice day even for a few minutes to get some fresh air and the effects that has on you when you get back to your work. The point is, sometimes we all need a break - it can do wonders for filling our buckets and when our buckets are full - we have more great things to give.
I like to think about it in this way: you're not going to eat the same meal for dinner every night and feel fulfilled - you need some variety.
Here are four things you can focus on to ensure you're keeping things balanced and interesting:
1. Keep a calendar - schedule all your non work stuff first - appointments, exercise, family time and events. Now add all the stuff you need to do for work. I highly recommend leaving some space in there for things that may come up so that you are not overscheduled and overwhelmed.
2. Set limits for yourself. Perhaps you were like me, spending many hours throughout your day on social networking sites and then realizing you still had a pile of work to get to and not enough time to get it all done. I have heard many people say they just don't have the time to be on social networking sites because it takes up too much time. I have learned to set aside chunks of time each day to dedicate to certain tasks so that I'm better able to manage all that I need to do.
3. Pretend you're dating again. "Date" your spouse, significant other, family members, friends and even yourself. Schedule time with them and commit to it the same way you would a work appointment or doctor's appointment. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant either - it could be as simple as walking with a friend, cooking dinner together or setting aside some time for yourself to enjoy that book that you bought months ago that's still sitting there unread.
4. Reflect, examine and change. I have realized over the past week that too often our lives get off track and off balance and we might not realize it until it's too late. We find ourselves caught up in our routines, feeling trapped and unfulfilled because we are not giving ourselves a balance in all that we do. When we step back to reflect, we are ensuring we are living a balanced life. "It's your life - live it your way - not the way you think others want you to live it."
When I think of balance I imagine a dancer - they are taught over long periods of time and countless hours of practice to find their center and they can instantly return their balance. It's up to us all to find our center because until we do we will continue to be off balance and at odds with our world and ourselves.
What will you do today to restore balance to your life?
If you feel balanced, how are you achieving that?
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Ready to take your marketing to new levels? ~ Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ Copyright 2009
If it's not evident to you by now, consumers are very knowledgeable and computer savvy and are using the Internet to not only search for homes but for real estate agents and real estate professionals who they feel are like minded and can lead them to the results they are looking for.
As we all know, there are only 24 hours in a day to get it all done...are you focusing on the right stuff to grow your business and meet your client's needs? Contact us today to get started!
Ready to take your Marketing to new levels? Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2011
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