Monday, October 10, 2011

Can you juggle?

One of my biggest struggles in life is trying to juggle work and family.  It's tough.  It seems like a constant pendulum swing one way or the other with no time spent in true balance.  I've been thinking a lot about this problem along with Parkinson's Law (every task we have to do fills the time allotted).

Instead of looking for a balance, I began looking to a schedule.  I have started blocking off family time where no work is allowed.  And likewise, when there's work to be done, it needs to be work time.  Are there exceptions?  Of course, but for the most part, this idea has allowed me to fully devote myself to one part of my life or the other.  When it's family time, work is forgotten.  And when it's work time... family is still on my mind, but my focus is work.

It sounded cold to me at first, but scheduling family time has helped me tremendously by allowing me the space and time to completely forget about work and truly focus on family without feeling guilty for not "getting something done."

Set aside specific non-work time to spend with your family and see what you think.  It's worth it!