Work - Life Balance, pt. 2
Work-life balance can seem like an impossible achievement. Technology makes us accessible around the clock and fear of job loss incentivizes longer hours. Here are a few self-care tips to balance the work-life equation.
“You don’t need to make yourself miserable to be successful.”
No 40-40-40
The 40-hour workweek is a staple of American working traditions. It was originally implemented by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company to protect workers and ensure their productivity. Although established as a norm for full-time work it seems as though Americans are working much more than the 40-hour workweek. In a recent Harvard Business School survey, a whopping 94 percent of working professionals reported working more than 50 hours per week and nearly half said they worked more than 65 hours per week. Experts agree: the compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging. It can hurt relationships, health, and overall happiness.
Work-life balance can seem like an impossible achievement. Technology makes us accessible around the clock and fear of job loss incentivizes longer hours.
The U.S. is the most overworked developed nation in the world. At least 134 countries have laws setting the maximum length of the workweek. The U.S. does not. In the U.S., 85.8 percent of males and 66.5 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week. According to the International Labor Organization, “Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than French workers.”
Work-life balance can seem like an impossible achievement.
American Work-Life Balance
According to the Center for American Progress on the topic of work and family life balance, “ in 1960, only 20 percent of mothers worked. Today, 70 percent of American children live in households where all adults are employed.”. U.S. Department of Labor statistics support up this data and notes that 75 percent of employed women work full time. When all adults are working (single or with a partner), that is a huge imbalance to the household and free time in the American family. In addition, the U.S. is the only country in the Americas without a national paid parental leave benefit. The average is over 12 weeks of paid leave everywhere other than Europe where it is over 20 weeks.
Often, work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to be successful professionally can drive us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance is critical to improving not only our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but it is also paramount for our careers.
Here are a few self-care tips to balance the work-life equation.
Let go of perfectionism.
Unplug.
Exercise and meditate.
Change the structure of your life.
Start small. Build from there.
Many people have opted for self-employment or participation in the gig economy, which is characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs. Good examples are Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Fiverr, direct selling, and network marketing.
I believe the key to work-life balance is better stated as a work life harmony. The key to this, in my opinion is to do something that you are truly passionate about. The most effective ways to achieve a work life harmony is to really enjoy, or find a purpose, in what you do for a living. Even though everyone is not always fortunate enough to find a position that pays them for pursuing their passion, you can strive to find meaning in what you are already doing or pursue something entirely new.
Our desire to be successful professionally can drive us to set aside our own well-being.
If you are open to pursuing something new that may be the answer to the work-life balance conundrum, we have two virtual events that may be of interest. First is our Healthy by Choice Master Class on the Nikken Wellness Home on Tuesday, July 14th at 6 pm Pacific time. This 30-minute zoom presentation will highlight the products and technologies of the Nikken Wellness Home and how we can be Healthy by Choice. We will host a live Q&A after the class. To join us click on the following link, Self Care Awakening Classroom.
Your second step is to join us for the Nikken Zoom-in on Saturday, July 18th at 9:30 am Pacific. The Zoom-in will feature the Better Way presentation designed to let you evaluate the Nikken business opportunity. This will be followed by brief stories from people in our business from just starting to established leaders, followed by a live Q&A. To join us click on the following link, Self Care Awakening Classroom.
Self-isolation and social distancing have mandated that many people work remotely from home. Work and life are more intertwined than ever due to the drastic rise in remote work and an increasing dependency on technology. Next week we will discuss work-life balance and how it relates specifically to working from home.
Be Healthy by Choice
Work-Life Balance
Each year July 5th is National Workaholics Day. Yes, it is true, and please notice, it is a national event, not a global event. A workaholic is typically defined as a person who feels the need to be busy, however, a healthy balance between career and personal life is the key to life’s success and good health. As a self-care advocate and given our battle cry of Be Healthy by Choice, I now understand the health ramifications of being a workaholic.
“All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy”
Each year July 5th is National Workaholics Day. Yes, it is true, and please notice, it is a national event, not a global event. No surprise there. Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than French workers according to the International Labor Organization.
Are You a Workacholic?
A workaholic is typically defined as a person who feels the need to be busy. Most researchers define a workaholic as a person who works excessively and compulsively and is unable to detach from work. A good and strong work ethic is particularly important to one’s career success however, a healthy balance between career and personal life is the key to life’s success and good health. Balance, as with most things, is key.
Work-life balance can seem like an impossible achievement. Technology makes us accessible around the clock. Fear of job loss incentivizes longer hours. In a recent Harvard Business School survey, a whopping 94% of working professionals reported working more than 50 hours per week and nearly half said they worked more than 65 hours per week. Experts agree: the compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging. It can hurt relationships, health, and overall happiness.
Work-life balance can seem like an impossible achievement.
So, are you a workaholic and will you be celebrating on July 5th? Not sure, well here are some indicators that may help determine if you are a workaholic.
Do you never stop working?
Do you take work with you to bed, on weekends or on vacation, that is if you take vacations?
Is work the activity you do best and talk about the most?
Do you think it is OK to work long hours, especially if you love what you do?
Do you do things energetically and competitively, including play?
Have long hours worked hurt your relationships and/or family life?
Is your sleep inadequate or disturbed?
Do you often skip meals or rely on take-out (fast food) for quick meals?
Are you oblivious or maybe consciously unconcerned of the health risks of too much work and not enough play?
I have never considered myself a workaholic but given some of these traits maybe I am, more accurately I was. In my early career work always came first. I remember my Dad saying many times when I was young, “first the work then the play”. However, in those years, the play just didn’t seem to happen. I often rationalized that my love of my profession and my efforts to be the best I could be justified my choices. This is a common rationalization and we often feel that we are doing it for the good of our family, our company, our career. Is this a healthy way to live? In a word, NO!
As a self-care advocate and given our battle cry of Be Healthy by Choice, I now understand the health ramifications of being a workaholic. Although I would have considered myself to be healthy during these years, I now fully appreciate that I was not and was in reality a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Poor sleep, inadequate hydration, poor diet, and very fast-paced career with nearly constant travel all started to manifest itself with chronic conditions that I ignored. Faced with a choice of my health or my career I set a plan to balance my work and my life.
Often, work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to be successful professionally can drive us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance is critical to improving not only our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but it is also paramount for our careers.
Twenty-two years ago, I discovered Nikken. Not only did this company have incredible life-changing products, but also offered a philosophy that a genuinely happy life was based on having balance in five key areas, a healthy mind, body, family, society, and finances. Nikken’s philosophy of the Five Pillars of Wellness had a profound transformational effect on me. Prior to my learning and understanding of the Five Pillars I never seriously considered having a balanced life, nor did I really ever consider putting any effort into achieving balance in my life. I was in my late 40’s and started to wonder what else is there in life. Could with time and effort a balanced life even be possible?
After observing that I often spent all night in the lab on my research project, my graduate school college mentor counseled me that work is just one part of life and that we all need to create a balance in the areas of our life that support our aspirations in intellectual, physical, emotional and financial health. Good advice from an incredibly wise man. All too often things go in one ear and out the other, or as it has been said when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. In my case, it was 20 years later when Nikken and the Five Pillars of Wellness appeared, and I was ready to listen and learn.
I was in my late 40’s and started to wonder what else is there in life.
Nikken Corporate offers a personal development course, Human’s Being More. It is currently being offered virtually and is a great place to start if you are looking to add more work-life harmony to your life. Nikken’s Chancellor of Nikken University, Jeff Isom, is an awesome trainer and not only does the class provide insights into creating a balanced life but also includes follow up sessions and ongoing personal development training. Anyone 16 years or older (or mature enough to sit still for 5 hours) can enroll in the class at a great value if $19. The next class is scheduled for Saturday, July 18th. For more information contact Heather or me at the selcarehub.com or the person that shared this blog with you.
Have a happy 4th of July and if the shoe fits a happy Workaholics Day. As a reminder, Heather and I are on Summer Break and will resume our weekly Master Class on Tuesday, July 14th.