Feeling Out of Balance?
You may be putting too much pressure on your job.
Go to work, go home, work out, go to bed, repeat. If you work from home, the leaving part might be questionable. Some days, you work late because you have big plans for your career, and quite frankly, it’s easy to do. You have promotions and career growth in your sights, and the boundaries in the house between work time and personal time may be blurred. The career plan you’ve laid out for yourself is doable and ambitious…but is it balanced?
A daily routine revolving around work, merit and success makes focusing on career seem like the only critical priority, but there are other areas of your life that could be equally prosperous if given the same amount of attention. What about relationships, hobbies and how you feel? While work can certainly make us feel a range of emotions, it’s usually not known for curing loneliness or sparking immense joy. It’s also not known for giving the greatest hugs, remembering the special details or knowing you the way a best friend does.
If you feel like you don’t have time for anything fun, you’re working late all the time or you are always exhausted as a result of the work schedule you are keeping, it may be time to check your whole life balance. According to a study the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) published earlier this year, 52 percent of Americans reported feeling burned out because of their job. This was found to be more common among women, younger workers, and mid-level employees.
Regardless of how and where you work, it is possible to establish boundaries that allow you to excel at work and create the life that will outlast your job. The average person will have 12 to 18 jobs in their lifetime over five to seven different careers, but the ability to develop and maintain friendships and relationships will be important throughout each transition. Being an engaged member of your community, getting to know yourself outside of work, and dedicating time to other things you enjoy is the cornerstone of establishing good habits and career management practices that take the entire picture into consideration. As you do this, here are a few things to consider:
1. Are you always thinking about work?
Do you find yourself, even in your time away from work, thinking about it? Considering what’s next, how to advance, what your plans should be? While these thoughts are healthy and necessary at times, it shouldn’t be all you’re thinking about. If your job makes you happy, but it’s the only thing that does, you may be on rocky ground. It’s likely time to evaluate the other critical areas of your life and separate the professional from the personal.
Be intentional about your time away from work. Make plans. Treat your outside-of-work activities like your work ones by blocking time on your calendar scheduling appointments and self-care the same way you do meetings. You’re less likely to skip them this way.
Sign up for an art class, join a tennis club, or explore any hobbies that interest you. Bring a friend or two along for the adventure. When you do things with other people, they often hold you accountable to your commitments.
Set clear start and end times for work. Is 5:30 your quitting time? Set an alarm for 5:15, so you know it’s time to pack up.
Make a project plan for yourself. Set some goals of personal things you’d like to accomplish and set milestones to do this. If you are someone who thrives on a project plan or goals at work, you can use that same strategy and strength to your advantage at home.
2. If you work from home, when was the last time you really got out of the
house for something more than regular errands?
It’s easy to stick to a routine, but it may be time to put yourself out there. Literally.
3. When was the last time you went out with your friends?
Better yet, is it time to make some new ones that have nothing to do with your current job? No one is telling you to have 50 friends (or that it’s not okay to make a few at work). It might be challenging to keep up and have meaningful connections with all 50 or go deep with your work bestie about certain topics, but as your career and life evolve, focus on maintaining your life and friendships outside of work. This is your support system who will be with you through each job transition that will inevitably come. Feel like you are in a social rut?
Schedule a bi-monthly brunch or dinner club, and if you don’t have many friends or connections yet, invite those you do know to bring a plus one. This is also a great way to check out new hot spots in your neighborhood.
Take a weekly group fitness class with your best gal pal, or start a book club together.
Plan a themed game night every quarter, and invite your neighbors. Creating community is a great way to bring balance and levity to life especially when that nine to five becomes too intense.
Have a pet? Take your furry friend to a monthly meetup or the dog park to meet other like-minded pet parents.
4. When was the last time you put aside time to help someone else?
Volunteer work is a great way to meet people, try new things and work on personal passion projects while making a positive contribution to the greater good. Sometimes filling a need for someone else puts things into perspective about your own life. It requires that instead of being solely internally focused, we start to notice and become a part of other things going on around us which can help to create balance externally.
5. Do you take time to care for yourself?
If you aren’t at your best, you won’t be able to fully contribute to your life, work or personal. Feeling constantly drained or overwhelmed limits your ability to be creative, and you can’t really do your best work, help others or socialize if you aren’t feeling inspired or have the energy to do so. Exercising is a great way to relieve stress, release some endorphins and can be a great way to start taking care of your mind. If you suspect burnout or anxiety that is becoming too hard to manage, it’s okay to take a break (mental health day, anyone?) or reach out to a professional if it’s time for a good therapy session or two.
6. How can you find balance in your current career situation?
If you’re finding the need to stay late and work most nights, it might be time to talk with your manager about your workload. Perhaps it’s greater than it should be, or you’re spending too much time in meetings. It might be that it’s time to hire temporary or part-time help, but until you voice your concerns, your manager likely has no idea how you are feeling. Make sure you are clear on your critical priorities and spend time on those. Even though everything you are working on might seem urgent, the reality is it probably isn’t. Could it be that it’s just time to take a break? Schedule time to take some PTO before this year is over. A good way to keep a pulse on how you are feeling about your current job situation is to check-in with yourself every three months. Evaluate where you are and decide if you can continue well enough for another three. If you’re feeling the lack of career balance is deeper than this, it might be time to start setting some different or new career goals for the new year or peek at the job boards. If you are working in a high-stress or high- volume environment, evaluate if this is seasonal or constant and if you are good to keep going. While having a demanding career is certainly okay (some people thrive in this) it may not be sustainable indefinitely.
So, are you putting too much pressure on your job?
While these questions require deep thought and personal reflection, if you are putting all the happiness, time, peace, and joy eggs in the job or career basket, it may be time to take stock. Are you putting too much pressure on your job to fulfill all your needs? While success is different for everyone, it is definitely possible to create a flexible plan that works to create a balanced life focused on the whole you.
Regardless of where your career ranks in the hierarchy of importance, you can’t forget about yourself and the people around you that make for a full life. Your work can’t pick you up after a hard day and take you to dinner; it’s the people and relationships that you develop outside of work that will always be happy to do that.