Can there Really be Work-Life Balance?
Kristi Hudson
Truthfully, my husband and I have been working diligently for decades to find a better way to manage our personal and professional lives. Some days and months have been better than others. When our company implemented EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), it helped to improve communication and productivity, while also reducing some of our self-induced chaos. It inspired my husband and me to use a similar method for managing our personal lives as well. And it helped. But it wasn't the long-term solution that we were looking for to end the chaos.
Recently, I was on the hunt for a new book to read. I searched my favorite authors and was surprised to see that Patrick Lencioni had written a book about restoring sanity to your household called The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family. Intrigued, I popped it into my Amazon cart and read it from cover to cover when it arrived two days later. Flere is what I learned.
All families experience chaos and frustration but accept them as a normal part of life. What is the source of all this chaos? We have more opportunities and social expectations than previous generations. Whether you are married or single, have children or not, we all have trouble when it comes to saying "no" to anything. We are an adrenaline-addicted society and find it impossible to "just be still." We feel pressured to schedule every minute of every day. It's okay to buck societal norms and just say, "no."
Those people who seem to have it all together, and have achieved work-life balance, are just like you and me. I have a friend that is a single mom, works full-time, goes to school part-time, and is always put together. Her house is spotless, her car is immaculate, she volunteers at her daughter's school, and never misses a performance or athletic event. One day, I asked her how she did it all and still managed to look flawless. Her response... laughter! She was quite flattered that I thought she had it all together when, in reality, her life was just as frantic and chaotic as mine. Her house stays clean for the most part because they are never home. She also has a spare room piled floor to ceiling with the mess she hides from the rest of the world. She stops at the gas station every morning to clean out her car and readily admitted that she loves volunteering at her daughter's school, but that she is asked so often that she has begun to resent it. The reality was that she was as frantic and exhausted as I was, but she was pleased to know that she was hiding it well.
My quest for work-life balance, at the heart of it, was a desire to spend more time with my family. I finally realized that it wasn't about balance, but about changing my priorities. I know that I need more than 8 hours a day to get my job done, so I go in early, but I always leave on time. After 4:30 PM, the chances of getting me on the phone are slim to none. If it is an emergency, my family, friends, and boss, know to call my husband, because my phone is on silent. When I plan vacations and vacation days, I leave everything else behind - no computer, no tablet, no work phone. It can wait until I return to the office. I still have things that I must do at home (laundry, cleaning, etc.), but we've divided them up in small chunks that can be completed in 30 minutes a day instead of spending an entire Saturday slaving away at home.
Of all of Patrick's books, this one was indeed the most beneficial to my life and sanity. It allowed my husband and me to reevaluate how we manage our household and to establish boundaries on our time. I have recently resigned from several volunteer positions that I once enjoyed but had started to feel like a burden. We committed to regular date nights monthly, and with our Saturdays mostly free from household chores, we can spend more time as a family.
In the end, it just helped to add a little clarity to the waves of chaos and permitted us to say no to activities, and people, that were taking up our time without feeling guilty. With each small change that we've implemented overtime, we feel more in control of the chaos, and that has made all the difference.
ยง Kristi Hudson is a certified professional compliance officer (CPCO). She serves as the Director of Business Relationships for ChiroHealthUSA where she has helped to educate DCs and CAs on establishing simple and compliant financial policies. You can contact Kristi at 888-719-9990 or Kristi@chirohealthusa. com, or you can visit the ChiroHealthUSA website atwww. chirohealthusa. com.
