Work or Family? How to Have Work-Life Balance

Is it wrong for one to work extra hours? No! Work keeps food on the table and a roof over our heads. They say money can't buy you happiness but with money, you can live comfortably. You can live with peace of mind knowing that your family is provided for. Something interesting is that Tony Robbins - a self made millionaire, explains how money does not equal happiness. There is a difference between having genuine happiness and happy materialism. So when does working start having a negative effect?

What is happening?

Everyone has goals. We all want to achieve something. We all want to reward ourselves with something we may not even need. So what do we do? We work long and hard. We stress over deadlines. We are physically present with our family but mentally, we're worrying about work. Sadly, working early and ending late has become normal to some. Yes, working in an office may make it seem easier and not that big of a problem because you're surrounded by friends. By people who understand what you are going through at work. People you can relate to and vice versa. You're also finally able to get your hands on the latest gadget. In 2 years, there will be models 5 times better than what you got. Then the cycle will repeat itself. It's time for an upgrade, so time to work more because of course you can't just spend your savings. What happens when you get home? Or if you are working from home, what happens when you're done for the day?

You leave the office, you have dinner when you get home and the next thing you want is to have some time for yourself before the cycle of you going to work repeats itself. You don't want to be bothered. You want to relax. You're too tired to respond to any personal messages. You forget about distant family members. And you may be distant from the ones around you. You start neglecting yourself because you barely get enough sleep anymore. Before you know it relationships will weaken and so will you. So what can you do?

The Truth And What Should Actually Be Happening.

As Tony Robbins said, "What’s more valuable, if you want happiness, is clearly being able to have experiences...they linger...the emotions, all that." So give your family priority. Ask yourself whether your actions show that your job is more important than your family or relationship. Do the people most important to you feel distant, ignored or even neglected? Make sure your home, is your home. Adding value to your life and to your family's life is true happiness. In my case, I worked just enough to help my parents financially. I felt like it was a way of thanking them for everything they had provided me. Seeing how my parents felt less stressed because I was independent made me so proud of myself. I was helping.

Say no to work when necessary. Take what you can handle when you're available. Communicate with your leaders. If they need you during your off times, respectfully tell them that you will get back to them soon. Besides, you not being overworked will help you maintain or even increase productivity. You could also 'unplug' every now and then. Make sure you are not too distracted by the demands of work. You could start with dinner time. A good time for families to come together and have quality time. Keeping work separate is something you have to work on for a while. It may take some getting used to for some people. Some may feel obliged to constantly be connected to their boss. But let them know and they will understand.

With All That Being Said

I want you to have time too. I want you to be able to relax and enjoy time more with your family. I may be able to do things you find redundant. Things that take up too much time. Sometimes the smallest things are the most tedious. Time is money. So with more time on your hands, you can look into more ways you would like to try to grow your business. I would love to take some work off your hands. I understand that there are some tasks that only you can do. I'll do the other things. You'll have more time for important things and I will be able to do what I do best - help.