Work - Family life balance

Many people have an imbalance between their personal and professional lives. One of the most important reasons is the lack of boundaries between these two areas of our lives, as a result of which our engagement with one area is often at the expense of the other.

Moreover, unrealistic expectations, which are often identified with perfectionism (e.g. The house must always be spotlessly clean and tidy), as well as our beliefs about certain issues (e.g. My work is more tiring than yours), create additional tension.

So how can we bring balance to our lives?

Remove obstacles. Unrealistic expectations as well as beliefs/stereotypes that don't fit us make our attempt to find balance even more difficult. We need to have expectations that are realistic and considerate. In addition, stereotypes such as those cultivated by daily TV series (i.e. A super rich breakfast every morning on my table) are unachievable and fill us with disappointment.

Set clear boundaries between work and personal life. We should try to decompress before switching from one role to the other and focus on what we are doing at that moment -not think about what happened before or what will happen afterwards. If we need to work at home or deal with a personal matter while at work it's important to set a specific timeframe.

Understand time-management. We should take note of weekly activities, professional and personal and evaluate which are necessary and which give us the most satisfaction. By assessing our obligations we will be able to set priorities. It is important to remember that priorities change according to each person's current circumstances and stage of life.

Evaluate needs. Apart from obligations, it is important to consider what we really desire at a given period. Many times, people don't realize that they want to work enough or that they want to do some things themselves at home. They derive satisfaction from these activities which is something important to consider.

Practice effective communication. We need to learn to communicate our feelings, needs and difficulties and to ask others for help when we can't do something ourselves. For example, our partner could take on more responsibilities at home if we are undergoing a stressful period at work. Accordingly, a colleague or supervisor could help with certain obligations. But if we don't ask for all these things, they won't be able to happen, because others can't know what we need and when we require their assistance.

Fit in joy in everyday life. It is important to value common things, like a cup of coffee or a nice conversation. We don't have to completely take off our schedule "little things" that are meaningful to us; for example, meeting friends after work or even sitting down with colleagues to chat after work.

It is important to accept that absolute balance may not be possible at all times and that there are often objective difficulties that prevent it. But it is equally important to seek this balance as much as we can in a given time period and try to maintain it over time.