People who lack self-awareness often spend so much time at work that other areas of their lives suffer. It’s not uncommon for people to spend every waking moment toiling on some task related to the workplace. They spend much of their time scrambling around putting out fires rather than planning ways to do things more efficiently and enjoyably.
You can implement some basic steps that can help you increase self-awareness, bring your life into balance, and allow you to focus on what really needs attention. It all starts with prioritizing. Think about the following questions as you begin your workday:
1. What are the things I absolutely have to do right now?
2. What are the things I can do later?
3. What are the things I can have someone else do for me?
When you ask yourself these questions you begin to move away from emergency response mode and into self-awareness and planning deliberate actions each day. My consulting clients often tell me that, when they learn how to prioritize more effectively, they actually increase the time they have to focus on ways to grow their business.
The next area is your personal life. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a healthy personal life. A healthy personal life will improve your general outlook and performance. Think about the following ideas and how they apply to you:
1. How much time have I set aside for my personal life today?
2. What can I postpone doing at work to spend more time on my personal life?
3. What have I done to take care of myself today?
Thinking about these questions allows you to pay more attention to yourself and the things you need to keep you feeling great. If you work too much, dial in a little more personal time. If you have too much free time, do a few more things to further your career. When you achieve work and personal life balance you will feel invigorated in all parts of your life and will be ready to take on any challenge that comes your way.
Ultimately, I would recommend that you pursue your dreams and do what you really want to do in life. When you live life authentically you don’t have to worry about work/life balance, you just get to be the real you each day. What will you do to develop self-awareness and enjoy life more?
Cheers,
Guy