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Career Corner: Achieving Work/Life Balance

Tired of teetering out of control? Do you feel overwhelmed by your work, home and family responsibilities? Are you frequently stressed because you can’t get everything done? If your life seems like a circus …juggling work, home and family responsibilities – you’re not alone. Many people just like you feel like their life is leading them, instead of them leading a purpose driven life and choosing where they spend their time. So, who’s running the show? Is it your Crackberry, your laptop, your boss – or you? If your answer is something else than you it’s time to get back in the driver’s seat!

Life balance is a buzzword these days for good reason. It’s a chronic issue that comes up in conversation because quite simply, life has become harder to manage. With email, Crackberry’s and everything else demanding our attention it’s no wonder we get bogged down in to-do lists and wonder at the end of the day where the time went. We’re expected to work faster and more efficiently, plus we’re more accessible than ever because of new technology that allows us to work or communicate from anywhere. Information comes at us faster than ever. And this trend shows no sign of stopping.

The problem with your life being out of balance is…

  •  You’re not focusing your attention and time where you want to, and not living the life you want to live.
  •  It feels like your life is on autopilot, like someone else is driving the bus and you are not in control.
  • When you feel pressured to handle so many tasks and have so many demands on your time, you lose creative thinking and effectiveness – not to mention becoming physically exhausted.

On the flip side of this issue is we all want greater fulfillment in our lives and careers than ever before. It’s no longer acceptable to punch a time clock at the same job for our whole lives and wait until retirement to have fun. We want fulfillment and balance now. I’ve noticed through my career coaching practice that while people are craving greater balance they are having more trouble achieving it.

On Tuesday, we'll look at some tips for creating balance in your life.

Here's to having a career you love,
Hallie Crawford
Career Path Coach