Finding Work-Life Balance

When I was growing up, I aspired to be a "career woman". That is where I focused all of my energy. And for years I was a bit of a workaholic. I was the first one in and the last one out. If I took a vacation, I'd go from the airport straight to the office to catch up. If I wasn't "away", I'd go in every day. (This was before the day of laptops and crackberries.) It got to the point where my therapist at the time threatened to medicate me if I didn't find moderation in my life.

I don't know how (maybe it was the therapy) but back in approximately 1997 I found work life balance. Now...I have read many articles about work life balance. And some say you can have it all. Others say you can't. Others say that there is no such thing. For me, work life balance is a state of mind. If I feel or in my case "think" I have balance, I have it. My goals is that every day is 7.5 or 8. That is balance to me.

You might be thinking. Wow, 8 hours...she doesn't want to work that hard. Well, for those of you that know me well. I am able to get a ton of work done very quickly. Back in the days when I was in college working Summers in bank operations, I could do 2 or 3 people's jobs. One of my bosses thought it meant I was doing sloppy work. But that wasn't the case. I just worked quickly. I like to get stuff done and I did. My mother always told me that some day I would learn to slow down. I never did. (Not coincidentally, this is when I developed my addiction to diet soda.)

As I climbed the corporate ladder, I learned that if I got my work done early the rest of the time was mine. With "Strengths" of "Activator" and "Achiever", I like to start and I like to finish. So I do...that's "how I roll".

Getting back to the topic. I finally feel like I have balance 95% of the time and I don't know if you can ask for more than than.

Want some ideas for finding work-life balance for yourself? Read on.

• Leave your building and have lunch with a friend at least once a week, preferably daily.
• Figure out your boundaries and stick to them. (e.g. I won't work on weekends and I don't travel for work.)
• Figure out (and tell your boss) what you are good at and make sure that you can spend as much time as possible doing it.
• Get as much sleep as you need.
• Find time for the gym.