The path to balance doest have to be overly complicated – sometimes just a simple reminder is need to check in yourself. A friend of mine sent this to me yesterday – it’s been in her desks for years – very worthwhile to pass along as a small reminder when you’re feeling a bit out of control.
B alance is something you can achieve
A llow others to share the load
L et go of unrealistic expectations
A ct upon your goals and priorities
N o is a word you can learn to say
C ommunicate effectively to strengthen relationships
E xpect and plan for the unexpected
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Linking it all together
For the last year I’ve been working on 2 separate but related projects – both with the goal to empower people to empower themselves.
This project the work life balance project is about planting seeds and encouraging people to look at their values and actions in way that might lead to a more balance lifestyle.
The other project - called Simple Intentions – focuses on empowering people one word at a time when they need a tiny nudge through simple products like bamboo wall tiles and custom t-shirts.
The reality is both projects make up one company focused on – you guessed it – empowerment.
In a separate but related conversation I was talking about what I wanted to accomplish in the next decade. Simply put I want to empower 1 million people to feel empowered. I want to in some way inspire 1 million people to know they are in control every morning when they wake up to choose their life, their mood and how they spend their time. It is that simple – one company – one mission – 3 offerings – wear it, read it or listen to it.
Do you want to be part of the million people that own their life?
This project the work life balance project is about planting seeds and encouraging people to look at their values and actions in way that might lead to a more balance lifestyle.
The other project - called Simple Intentions – focuses on empowering people one word at a time when they need a tiny nudge through simple products like bamboo wall tiles and custom t-shirts.
The reality is both projects make up one company focused on – you guessed it – empowerment.
In a separate but related conversation I was talking about what I wanted to accomplish in the next decade. Simply put I want to empower 1 million people to feel empowered. I want to in some way inspire 1 million people to know they are in control every morning when they wake up to choose their life, their mood and how they spend their time. It is that simple – one company – one mission – 3 offerings – wear it, read it or listen to it.
Do you want to be part of the million people that own their life?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Unhappy and Young at Work
Almost half of all US workers (45 percent) say they are unhappy with their jobs according to new report by the Conference Board that was released today – the lowest number in the 22 years since studying the topic.
For comparison in 1986 61 percent said there were happy in their jobs. Yikes. That is a lot of people walking around unhappy and we learned from Brain Rules and This Emotional Life – you have one brain you take with you everywhere and if almost half of all US workers are unhappy at work – I can only guess how that might carry over at home and school.
Something in the study jumped out at me – workers under 25 have the highest level of dissatisfaction. I wonder if this has always been the case throughout the years as this age group is dealing with the end of a collage party environment and the reality of the real world. Or is this a bigger generational shift that the over stimulated, tech savvy children of over protective parents are cut from a different cloth and might always struggle to adapt to rules and structure inherent in the current corporate America landscape.
Another report on this topic called The Reflexive Generation – Young Professionals Perspectives on Work, Career and Gender talks about how this new generation is constantly reflecting on the relationship between self, work and life with work being characterized by self management and the need for instant gratification and feedback. (Something that might explain the dissatisfaction numbers above – as the current “work world” is not set up to employees instants needs for gratification and the majority of roles for young people I wouldn’t exactly say lend to self managing.)
One can be optimistic that demands of the younger generation at work will help shape a better world of work for everyone. My last thought about the study is what are the other 55 percent doing differently that make them happy at work?
For comparison in 1986 61 percent said there were happy in their jobs. Yikes. That is a lot of people walking around unhappy and we learned from Brain Rules and This Emotional Life – you have one brain you take with you everywhere and if almost half of all US workers are unhappy at work – I can only guess how that might carry over at home and school.
Something in the study jumped out at me – workers under 25 have the highest level of dissatisfaction. I wonder if this has always been the case throughout the years as this age group is dealing with the end of a collage party environment and the reality of the real world. Or is this a bigger generational shift that the over stimulated, tech savvy children of over protective parents are cut from a different cloth and might always struggle to adapt to rules and structure inherent in the current corporate America landscape.
Another report on this topic called The Reflexive Generation – Young Professionals Perspectives on Work, Career and Gender talks about how this new generation is constantly reflecting on the relationship between self, work and life with work being characterized by self management and the need for instant gratification and feedback. (Something that might explain the dissatisfaction numbers above – as the current “work world” is not set up to employees instants needs for gratification and the majority of roles for young people I wouldn’t exactly say lend to self managing.)
One can be optimistic that demands of the younger generation at work will help shape a better world of work for everyone. My last thought about the study is what are the other 55 percent doing differently that make them happy at work?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Emotional Balance
Tonight on PBS there is a 3 part documentary about happiness called This Emotional Life. In the media promotion of the material the concept of emotional balance is discussed, a concept that I feel is an integral part of achieving overall balance between work and the rest of your life.
As Brain Rules author John J. Medina puts it, “You have one brain. The same brain you have at home is the same brain you have at work or school. The stress you are experiencing at home will affect your performance at work, and vice versa.” So it makes absolute sense that your emotional brain impacts every area of your life in the same way a stressed brain does, because it is the same brain.
Sounds so simple, yet you’d be surprised the resistance in the workshops sometimes to this notion. Some people want to believe they are superhuman (or nonhuman) and that they don’t take work home or home to work and they believe they can compartmentalize their feelings and emotions and not have cross-over – like removing a tie of taking of the heels results a magic emotional metamorphosis.
Perhaps work life balance is more an issue of emotion and stress balancing and really isn’t much about working at all. Rather work life balance is about how you interact with the people and events in your life, of which work is a part of. And how you interact with your own emotions and manage stress in and out of work largely determines the level of balance you feel.
I look forward to watching the series to learn more
As Brain Rules author John J. Medina puts it, “You have one brain. The same brain you have at home is the same brain you have at work or school. The stress you are experiencing at home will affect your performance at work, and vice versa.” So it makes absolute sense that your emotional brain impacts every area of your life in the same way a stressed brain does, because it is the same brain.
Sounds so simple, yet you’d be surprised the resistance in the workshops sometimes to this notion. Some people want to believe they are superhuman (or nonhuman) and that they don’t take work home or home to work and they believe they can compartmentalize their feelings and emotions and not have cross-over – like removing a tie of taking of the heels results a magic emotional metamorphosis.
Perhaps work life balance is more an issue of emotion and stress balancing and really isn’t much about working at all. Rather work life balance is about how you interact with the people and events in your life, of which work is a part of. And how you interact with your own emotions and manage stress in and out of work largely determines the level of balance you feel.
I look forward to watching the series to learn more
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
And Here We Are
Last October I was ready to pilot a two day work life balance program. We all know what happened to the economy around that time and let’s just say the timing wasn’t exactly right for employers to really care if their employees were feeling balanced.
A year later the tide has changed a bit, after layoffs, doing more with less and general fatigue employees need help to recharge and many employers now realize work life balance is a productivity issue as much as it is a social responsibility.
I didn’t give up on the program when the pilots were postponed – I changed directions. I decided maybe what I was working on might be a good book – so I began talking to people, hearing story after story from men and women struggling with how to fit it all in, I researched, read and researched some more and I realized the original pilot wasn’t what the market needed.
What I had created was more like a luxury car when the market really only needed a mid size sedan. So I edited, researched some more and went through draft after draft of workshop content - then in November, I officially launched a four hour Work Life Balance workshop.
The goal of the workshop is to empower people to take accountability for their part in the work life balance equation. It is full of dialog and activities and contains 20 things people can do to bring their actions in alignment with their values.
I was fortunate enough to deliver the workshop two times to fortune 500 company and to a group of what I’d call professional self improvement seminar goers – all three ending in rave reviews and an appetite for more - more information, more dialog, more in their lives of the participants than they are currently living.
It is clear to me that for now my part is to help plant the seeds that more is possible and available to everyone. I do not have all the answers to how to have work life balance – but after two years noodleling on this topic- I can say I’m getting really good learning the questions that need to be asked, understanding people’s experiences and tying it together in a way that makes sense for people. So armed with questions, and an abundance of real world stories, I’m ready to plant as many seeds as I can in 2010.
A year later the tide has changed a bit, after layoffs, doing more with less and general fatigue employees need help to recharge and many employers now realize work life balance is a productivity issue as much as it is a social responsibility.
I didn’t give up on the program when the pilots were postponed – I changed directions. I decided maybe what I was working on might be a good book – so I began talking to people, hearing story after story from men and women struggling with how to fit it all in, I researched, read and researched some more and I realized the original pilot wasn’t what the market needed.
What I had created was more like a luxury car when the market really only needed a mid size sedan. So I edited, researched some more and went through draft after draft of workshop content - then in November, I officially launched a four hour Work Life Balance workshop.
The goal of the workshop is to empower people to take accountability for their part in the work life balance equation. It is full of dialog and activities and contains 20 things people can do to bring their actions in alignment with their values.
I was fortunate enough to deliver the workshop two times to fortune 500 company and to a group of what I’d call professional self improvement seminar goers – all three ending in rave reviews and an appetite for more - more information, more dialog, more in their lives of the participants than they are currently living.
It is clear to me that for now my part is to help plant the seeds that more is possible and available to everyone. I do not have all the answers to how to have work life balance – but after two years noodleling on this topic- I can say I’m getting really good learning the questions that need to be asked, understanding people’s experiences and tying it together in a way that makes sense for people. So armed with questions, and an abundance of real world stories, I’m ready to plant as many seeds as I can in 2010.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Back at it
By the state of the world these days – there is a huge need for this conversation to take place. When the economy crashed a year ago – programs and trainings that support employees about balance and other soft skill topics were some of the first budget causalities. A year later people are working more, with less resources and less support and the need for balance is even greater. And my inbox has been lighting up, people want to know – what can they do – how can they make a change? And some companies are ready to support their employees.
I don’t have the answers – but I have the questions to ask. Look for more over the next few months – I’ve been busying researching, writing and interviewing people on the topic and there is much to talk about.
I don’t have the answers – but I have the questions to ask. Look for more over the next few months – I’ve been busying researching, writing and interviewing people on the topic and there is much to talk about.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hot Potato
I think I have realized there are 2 layers (at least) of balance – internal balance which the one you own that you can directly impact by the choices and actions you make and external balance the energy and choices of others that impact you regardless of your actions.
Examples of the external balance layer might be the boss with unclear goals and expectations on the team, the manager who is always changing direction, the family member who never has their act together or the friend who is perpetually late.
Let’s talk about the manager who is always changing directions creating an unpredictable environment for the team. On one level you have certain degree of control over how you respond when a change comes up, "I was working on XWY and changing direction now will cause Blah to happen". On other level you are forced to react to the situation, maybe its working late, changing your entire project plan, or hiring new vendors and depending on the situation it might cause you stress and anxiety to never know when a change might occur - which contributes to feeling out of balance, regardless of how many boundaries you set or how accountable you are to yourself.
So then, because this is reality and these types of people will always be in our lives, how do you find balance when those around you are imbalanced? What can you do to mitigate the stress this type of external layer plays in your life?
I don’t have the answer. Sure some of it is about confidence and clearly articulating a response in a way that is not defensive or wont get you fired, but outside that I’m at a loss. What comes to mind is the game “hot potato” and finding the way to develop some sort of skill that lets you catch and throw the wonky mojo as fast as possible so you don’t get burned by a potato that is not yours.
Examples of the external balance layer might be the boss with unclear goals and expectations on the team, the manager who is always changing direction, the family member who never has their act together or the friend who is perpetually late.
Let’s talk about the manager who is always changing directions creating an unpredictable environment for the team. On one level you have certain degree of control over how you respond when a change comes up, "I was working on XWY and changing direction now will cause Blah to happen". On other level you are forced to react to the situation, maybe its working late, changing your entire project plan, or hiring new vendors and depending on the situation it might cause you stress and anxiety to never know when a change might occur - which contributes to feeling out of balance, regardless of how many boundaries you set or how accountable you are to yourself.
So then, because this is reality and these types of people will always be in our lives, how do you find balance when those around you are imbalanced? What can you do to mitigate the stress this type of external layer plays in your life?
I don’t have the answer. Sure some of it is about confidence and clearly articulating a response in a way that is not defensive or wont get you fired, but outside that I’m at a loss. What comes to mind is the game “hot potato” and finding the way to develop some sort of skill that lets you catch and throw the wonky mojo as fast as possible so you don’t get burned by a potato that is not yours.
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