How to find the good work-life balance? 

What about rebalancing your life and find the good work-life balance?

If you have never been caught out by a washing machine running late, if your children are always really well-dressed, if your socks are sorted by color in your drawer, and if you are pursuing a brilliant career at the same time, then that’s pretty good going.

And yet, if you are reading this article – champion organiser that you are – then perhaps something is not quite right.

Perhaps you have the feeling that your life is passing you by and that nothing really happens.

Perhaps your well-oiled routine leaves you no time for dreams.

And at the end of the day, if your well-organised “all work and no play” daily life is not fulfilling for you, then this article may be just what you need! The question here is how to find new balance in your personal life?

Life passes you by while you make a living

Working allows you to earn money, and earning money provides essential material security. There is no problem so far

Take the example of the brilliant company owner who was completely invested in his work. It wasn’t long before he could no longer make a distinction between his professional and personal life. He talked less to his wife and children because he was too caught up in his work. He didn’t do any sport because he was too tired. He didn’t go to the doctor when he was sick because he didn’t have the time. He didn’t take any holidays, he didn’t see his friends any more, he didn’t do all of the things that he previously enjoyed… because satisfying his clients was his primary concern.

In this example, the excess is obvious. And therein lies the question.

Are you sure that you are not doing TOO MUCH in certain aspects of your life to the detriment of others that are sadly being ignored? If the answer is yes, then it is time to learn how to bring new balance to your daily life.

After reading tons of old and new life-coaching books, I found the best inspiration in a “Self-Coaching” old book, a French book “Mieux Organiser sa vie”. A very 2000 book, but with excellent basics that I would like to share with you in order to find a better work-life balance.

The authors of “Mieux organiser sa vie” consider there to be 8 major areas in one’s life:

• Couple / children / home
• Professional and financial
• Social and associative
• Cultural and intellectual
• Manual and artistic
• Health and sport
• Leisure and entertainment
• Ethical / moral / spiritual

 No! We are not just about work, our family and our home: Good news!

“Mieux organiser sa vie” asks us to auto-assess each of these eight areas, and proposes to set up little challenging exercises to successfully perform a small series of achievements every week! First 2 per week, then 4, then 6, then 8.

Here are examples of “small successes” that are not necessarily prodigious, but will allow you to feel proud of your achievements, and that will give you some keys to finding out how to progressively find a good work-life balance.

Couple / children / home

• Desire: Spend more time with my children
• Objective for the week: Collect the children from school on Friday

Financial / professional

•    Desire: Take opportunities to improve in my profession
•    Objective for the week: 1 networking lunch

Social and associative

•    Desire: Maintain my friendships
•    Objective for the week: Phone 3 friends to catch up with their news

Cultural and intellectual

•    Desire: Be up to date with current affairs
•    Objective for the week: Analyse an article in the press and discuss it at the dinner table

Manual and artistic

•    Desire: Cook (but I don’t like to!)
•    Objective for the week: Make home-made potato purée

Health and sport 

•    Desire: Quit smoking
•    Objective for the week: Set a date on which to stop, and tell the people around me

Leisure

•    Desire: More cultural activities
•    Objective for the week: Book 2 tickets to a concert

Ethical and spiritual     

•    Desire: Less material, more spiritual
•    Objective for the week: Listen to an opera

Move forward step by step, but move forward in each one of the areas.

is that it can point out our habits. 80% of what we do every day is performed on automatic pilot.

A fundamental attitude: to acquire NEW habits

To know how to restore a good work-life balance, you have to learn how to switch off this automatic pilot and force yourself to step outside your comfort zone. Many of our (bad) habits are holding back the field of possibilities.

And if you do not succeed in playing along with the game of exercises (and the solemn commitment to following the programme), why not just take a look at the major themes, because it will really make you want to reorganise your life… for the better. And that’s a start!

To find out more for a good work-life balance and if your French is up to date:

The book: Mieux organiser sa vie / Programme d’équilibre professionnel et personnel

Authors: Dan Sprinceana and Stefan Ilitch

Publisher: Maxima Laurent