As we approach the mid-year point, hours of daylight increase, outdoor activities and vacations are abundant, yet the demands at the office do not wane. The subject of providing an environment for work-life balance often resurfaces during the summer, but the topic is one that should be addressed on an ongoing basis within an organization.<\/p>\n
Numerous management consulting companies have performed exhaustive research in this area and have found that over 40% of employees claim they do not have suitable work\/life balance, and more than one in four dissatisfied employees plans to leave their employer within the next two years.<\/p>\n
The Definition of Balance<\/strong> 1)\u00a0 Family Having a balanced life means ensuring that life itself is multi-faceted and those facets are defined. We need to then apportion the correct amount of attention to each area. Prioritization is then determined by attention allocation rather than intention of attention allocation. In each area there are activities with varying degrees of urgency and importance; if urgency always rules decisions, one will easily feel out of balance. Important activities, while not immediately urgent, are frequently better uses of time than urgent ones. These eight areas compete for the one commodity we can offer, which is time.<\/p>\n Analyzing the Allocation of Time<\/strong> The following is an eight step formula for implementing this process:<\/p>\n 1)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Determine if and why you care about each of the eight domains. What does it mean to you and how important is it? What are the consequences of the lack of quality time and what are the benefits of proper attention allocation?<\/p>\n 2)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Determine and quantify the gap between desire and achievement.<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Create a specific action plan to close the gap.<\/p>\n 4)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Determine the amount of time needed in each area to achieve YOUR desired balance.<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Create an \u201cattention plan\u201d that details this time.<\/p>\n 6)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Identify potential hijackers and distractions of the plan and create solutions to minimize them.<\/p>\n 7)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Track and review periodically (once per week, perhaps).<\/p>\n 8)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Periodically re-assess, re-prioritize, and repeat.<\/p>\n Time and attention allocation is not the sole determinant, though, of balance. Focus in that time is equally important. Multi-tasking is the curse of focus; we are most productive and fulfilled when we give our undivided attention to the domain we are in.<\/p>\n With 120 hours each week, plenty of time exists for quality in each domain. Life may go through periods where a short-term imbalance serves a long-term balance, but this is called sacrifice! Some individuals consciously choose to dedicate all their life to one or two domains, while others do not want to be the world\u2019s best sprinter or hurdler but want to be a decathlete. Start first with what you want, which is based on your \u201cwhy\u201d. When you know your \u201cwhy\u201d, you can begin building the bridges to close the gaps between desire and achievement.<\/p>\n Finding People Who Make a Difference\u00ae<\/strong> \u2014Karen Schmidt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we approach the mid-year point, hours of daylight increase, outdoor activities and vacations are abundant, yet the demands at the office do not wane. The subject of providing an environment for work-life balance often resurfaces during the summer, but the topic is one that should be addressed on an ongoing basis within an organization. Numerous management consulting companies have performed exhaustive research in this area and have found that over 40% of employees claim they do not have suitable work\/life balance, and more than one in four dissatisfied employees plans to leave their employer within the next two years. The Definition of Balance There are many articles and books written about finding balance in life, but while many talk about the need to find balance, most do not define exactly what this means or how each of us can find the right combination. In order to figure out our perfect balance, we must start with the definition of what areas make up the various facets of life. Possible domains include: 1)\u00a0 Family 2)\u00a0 Friends 3)\u00a0 Spirituality 4)\u00a0 Self-Development 5)\u00a0 Self-Indulgence 6)\u00a0 Physical 7)\u00a0 Work 8)\u00a0 Charity Having a balanced life means ensuring that life itself is multi-faceted and those facets are defined. We need to then apportion the correct amount of attention to each area. Prioritization is then determined by attention allocation rather than intention of attention allocation. In each area there are activities with varying degrees of urgency and importance; if urgency always rules decisions, one will easily feel out of balance. Important activities, while not immediately urgent, are frequently better uses of time than urgent ones. These eight areas compete for the one commodity we can offer, which is time. Analyzing the Allocation of Time There are 168 hours in a week. Removing the amount of time an average person sleeps leaves roughly 120 hours per week to allocate attention and focus. Think about your last week and ask yourself, \u201dWhere did the time go?\u201d Did it go there because you planned it that way, or was it simply the result of going through the motions? If we can learn to plan the allocation of our most precious resource (our time), then we may value it more. Therefore, we must learn to become focused and productive while in one dimension, and still allow for enough time in other dimensions. The following is an eight step formula for implementing this process: 1)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Determine if and why you care about each of the eight domains. What does it mean to you and how important is it? What are the consequences of the lack of quality time and what are the benefits of proper attention allocation? 2)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Determine and quantify the gap between desire and achievement. 3)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Create a specific action plan to close the gap. 4)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Determine the amount of time needed in each area to achieve YOUR desired balance. 5)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Create an \u201cattention plan\u201d that details this time. 6)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Identify potential hijackers and distractions of the plan and create solutions to minimize them. 7)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Track and review periodically (once per week, perhaps). 8)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Periodically re-assess, re-prioritize, and repeat. Time and attention allocation is not the sole determinant, though, of balance. Focus in that time is equally important. Multi-tasking is the curse of focus; we are most productive and fulfilled when we give our undivided attention to the domain we are in. With 120 hours each week, plenty of time exists for quality in each domain. Life may go through periods where a short-term imbalance serves a long-term balance, but this is called sacrifice! Some individuals consciously choose to dedicate all their life to one or two domains, while others do not want to be the world\u2019s best sprinter or hurdler but want to be a decathlete. Start first with what you want, which is based on your \u201cwhy\u201d. When you know your \u201cwhy\u201d, you can begin building the bridges to close the gaps between desire and achievement. Finding People Who Make a Difference\u00ae Assembling a strong team of professionals who can drive bottom-line results and long-term company success is essential to the health of any organization. For more than 50 years, Sanford Rose Associates\u00ae has been committed to \u201cFinding people who make a difference\u00ae\u201d for its clients. To learn more about how we can assist your organization\u2019s long-term success, please reach out to your Sanford Rose Associates\u00ae executive search consultant today. \u2014Karen Schmidt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4,7,8,9,16],"class_list":["post-968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sra-updates","tag-human-resource-tips","tag-sanford-rose-associates-best-practices","tag-search-industry-insights","tag-sra-update","tag-talent-management"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThere are many articles and books written about finding balance in life, but while many talk about the need to find balance, most do not define exactly what this means or how each of us can find the right combination. In order to figure out our perfect balance, we must start with the definition of what areas make up the various facets of life. Possible domains include:<\/p>\n
\n2)\u00a0 Friends
\n3)\u00a0 Spirituality
\n4)\u00a0 Self-Development
\n5)\u00a0 Self-Indulgence
\n6)\u00a0 Physical
\n7)\u00a0 Work
\n8)\u00a0 Charity<\/p>\n
\nThere are 168 hours in a week. Removing the amount of time an average person sleeps leaves roughly 120 hours per week to allocate attention and focus. Think about your last week and ask yourself, \u201dWhere did the time go?\u201d Did it go there because you planned it that way, or was it simply the result of going through the motions? If we can learn to plan the allocation of our most precious resource (our time), then we may value it more. Therefore, we must learn to become focused and productive while in one dimension, and still allow for enough time in other dimensions.<\/p>\n
\nAssembling a strong team of professionals who can drive bottom-line results and long-term company success is essential to the health of any organization. For more than 50 years, Sanford Rose Associates\u00ae has been committed to \u201cFinding people who make a difference\u00ae\u201d for its clients. To learn more about how we can assist your organization\u2019s long-term success, please reach out to your Sanford Rose Associates\u00ae executive search consultant today.<\/p>\n