Caught in a whirlwind of frenetic conversation while reviewing 2007 with a few pals, a colleague of mine decided that she, a mother of three young children, would make a monumental change to impact her WorkLife Strategy in 2008. "I really want to work more in 2008, and I’m putting myself out there," she told me enthusiastically. "I’m going to attract more freelance work. Period."
My buddy had put The Law of Attraction to work in the form of verbal intention. But before I knew it, she had her resume flying around the Internet, generating numerous hits on her website. Then a conundrum -how to distinguish which company or job best fit her needs. This begged the question – What’s the best way to assess worklife needs heading into 2008?
We all want better worklife balance – not burnout. So how do you get that career boost that won’t negatively impact your family concerns? After much thought are my Top 7 Strategies to kick off 2008 in better balance.
Judy’s Top 7 Personal WorkLife Strategies for 2008:
- Defining your WorkLife Balance Profile. Write down your personal definition of worklife balance. Clearly state what your personal mission looks and feels like. It might mean spending more time with your family or being more efficient at work. Perhaps your greatest need is more flexibility at work. Are you an extreme worker? Is your commute too long? Is your productivity challenged by workplace conditions?
- Discovering Passion & Purpose in your Work. Do you love your work? If not, how can you better align your work with your personal passion and purpose? Identify aspects of your job that are most fulfilling and take on more responsibility in those areas. If you work for yourself, delegate the labor you don’t feel passionate about. If a new career is the answer, make a list of the most important components of your dream position.
- Create a WorkLife Edict for 2008. Identify the top three realistic goals you want to achieve toward balancing your work and family life in 2008. Then address those goals with the ideal changes that can help manifest them. What is needed to make a conscious shift in your WorkLife Balance for 2008?
- Navigating and Managing Info-mania. Info-mania quickly becomes Info-overload if not managed properly. New rule. You don’t have to answer every e-mail (file it or dump it instead) or pick up the phone every time it rings. It’s all relative. Ultimately, you are in charge of the mind boggling amount of stimulus that enters your personal stratosphere so establish guidelines.
- Identify Energizing and Depleting Relationships. Make a list of the most important personal and work relationships. Assess which unions foster your growth as an individual. This exercise will give you a new level of awareness in your decision making process as to whom you spend time with, and HOW MUCH TIME you spend with them.
- Define Success on Your Own Terms. We are consistently blasted with other peoples benchmarks of success. This concentration on what is deemed important by others is an anxiety producer that can lead to less productivity. Determine your own vision of success for 2008. What does it look and feel like?
- Create your Workplace Reality. First, whether you sit at a desk, in a cubicle, or drive a truck – you can make simple environmental changes to foster more productivity. From Ergonomics, to changing the layout of the items on your desk, to re-evaluating the pictures that stare you in the face every day. Second, give yourself a daily emotional boost. Choose a stress-busting routine. A brief walk every day, a quick breathing exercise at your desk, or even a few minutes of easy-listening music will do wonders for the mind and body.
