My generation, when we finally realized the terrible inconvenience of dying before we got old, began to articulate a new mantra. Well, actually, there have been many mantras, but the one that I want to focus on here is work-life balance. Over the years, we have made the plaintive cry for balance, meaning more time for our families and personal lives, even as we wore our workaholism as a badge of honor.
If you, whatever your generation, crave more balance in you life, then it’s important to avoid trying to balance time. In fact, time management, according to the Human Performance Institute and The Energy Project, is less effective than energy management. They have a point. Going beyond the fact that their concepts support development of the “Corporate Athlete,” you’ll find that they also support investing and recovering energy used in the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of life.
Long story short: this begins to look like a more holistic approach.
In your quest for balance, it is helpful to think of what you want in all areas of you life. And while you probably have an idea of what emotional, physical, mental and spiritual dimensions are, there is a much more concrete model. I call it the Life Circle.
You and I have Life Circles. So does your manager, your cousin Ralph, and your romantic interest. Your Life Circle is made up of six areas of living: career, family, relationships, self, leisure, and spirituality. In living your life, you invest greater or lesser amounts of energy in each of these areas. And the quality of your life now, and in the future, is directly related to the energy investments you make in each area now.
In a way, you can think of this as a broad asset allocation model for your life. And just as you invest dollars in financial assets to build a nest egg, you should be investing energy in areas of living to have a satisfying future. Unlike the deferred use of financial resources, however, investments of energy in areas of living create the foundation for a satisfying future while expanding fullness of your life today!
So, how are you investing your time and energy? How balanced is your Life Circle?
Contact me if you want to examine the current level of balance in your own Life Circle.
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