Achieving a work-life balance seems harder than ever in our increasingly complex and unpredictable world. Career coach Airlie Bell suggests that the mental model we are using may be too simplistic.
The phrase 'work-life balance' is a shorthand term that doesn't make sense, unless you add more information. Do you want to spend equal time working and not working? Is an hour spent doing routine maintenance around the home equal to an hour spent playing with your children, or socialising with friends? What do you mean when you say 'balance'?
"With our super busy lives, most of us rarely stop to consider how we spend our time and energy," Airlie says. "We're not making conscious or informed choices and just fall into the same old patterns. If we take a more holistic view, considering both our paid and unpaid work, and acknowledge that there is a difference in the value we place on various activities, we can ask ourselves if we are happy with the way we are using our time."
Airlie suggests framing our New Year's resolutions around a modified version of the classic GROW coaching model.
GOAL: What do you want to achieve or change about the way you spend your time? Be sure that the measure you use to calculate 'success' on any scale is truly your own, and that you are not buying into an externally imposed definition of achievement or value. Importantly, take time to think about 'why this is important to me?' If you are clear about what is consistent with your personal values, it helps keep you on track
REALITY CHECK: Not everything is within our control. Where can we make changes? What do we need to keep on doing for the time being? What are our priorities? Make sure you include unpaid, discretionary activity in here, as well as your paid employment. What do you need to keep yourself well and functioning happily? Consider things like nutritious food and adequate sleep, exercise, a social life and sense of community.
OPTIONS: What changes can you make that will enable you to achieve your goal? Is there more than one way? (Hint: the answer is generally, 'yes').
WAY FORWARD: What do I need to do to make this happen? Plan a way forward that is practical, and allows for the potential to shift between the scenarios you have identified in the previous step. And be prepared to cancel your plans if you change your mind or a better prospect presents itself.
Airlie Bell leads the Bespoke Career Concierge Team at UNE.
