When I mention balance, often people respond with visualising “work-life imbalance,” but what happens when you love what you do? This is a topic that is often not discussed but is equally important within the world of career coaching. When your work is extremely rewarding, having the ideal weighting between challenge and achievement, it can be hard to “turn off”. This is made especially difficult when technology allows you to continue researching, responding, and writing at the touch of your fingertips! This may look like longer hours, expanding your responsibilities beyond the “Job description” or even taking up literal space in your home, as well as space in your diary. So today, I want to talk about how you can find balance when you love your work.
This topic has been brought to me as a coach and trainer in several ways, as well as part of this month’s Ask Me Anything Question and Answer session. It’s also something I battle with myself; creating boundaries around work that I enjoy doing!
To make the quickest impact within this blog, rather than a to-do list of activities, or even a to-DON’T list, I’ll give you a mini coaching session to help you unpack YOUR version of success and help you create the balance that works for you.
- Start with your why!
Do you know your values? They are the backbone of what we do, the decisions we make, and the things we walk away from. When we feel conflicted, pulled in a variety of directions, and maybe even judged by others, understanding how our choices, and actions link to how we want to live and spend our time can help. You can find a great values exercise on my website, that will help you start collating what YOUR why is today!
- What does your work provide?
Whilst I certainly believe that your career doesn’t have to fulfil all your needs ( multiple social identities are linked to improved wellbeing) it is also useful to identify what “boxes” work ticks within your values. For example, a driven value may be finance, but ask yourself what your income level provides. Don’t just state “achievements” but detail the type of results you mean and how you evidence it. Not just social interaction but who are the people who give you energy and support your ambitions. This will start to build of picture of why you lean into work the way you do.
- Notice what’s missing
When you know what you want your compass to be (your values), you can notice what isn’t showing up enough. Look at this holistically, across your whole life. What do you want more of (quantity and/ or quality), that you aren’t getting by how your life is balanced right now? What isn’t happening in your life by the time/space, and energy that your work takes up? What other areas of your life could be utilised to deliver what your work delivers? Are some of your needs being met by work, as you haven’t identified where else they can be found?
- Rebalance with intention
When you are clearer on your why, know what areas of your success measures are, and can define what you want to change, you can make plans. Are you working a lot because the work you do has a social impact- can you bring your family along on the journey? If you find yourself checking in via your smartphone as you want to be seen as responsive and responsible, remove the access and make your availability clear in and out of office. If you are saying “yes” to things that are physically taking up space (as was part of one of our questions submitted this month) then consider what the outcome is of the activity – are there other ways you can get the same outcome without the physical space that is taken.?
These four areas are just the start; balancing life is a massive piece of the ever-changing world of work, but hopefully, this will begin your journey of reflection and making some changes. How have these reflections helped you? You can find the previous Q&As within these blogs, whilst the monthly AMA is run within Creating Careers to Enjoy.
If you would like some 1:1 support in helping you create a career to enjoy, reach out to me at hello@thebalancecollective.co.uk, or book a call via my diary link.
Clara Wilcox is a straight talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective is a social enterprise focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.
