Tips for Achieving Work-Life Balance

If you are like many Albertans, you may find it challenging to maintain a satisfying balance among work responsibilities, family commitments and leisure activities. More than half of Albertans report being “very stressed”— the highest rate in Canada.

Achieving a balanced lifestyle is worth the effort. People who find ways to devote time to the things that matter most often gain energy, raise their productivity and increase their enjoyment of family, friends and leisure activities.

According to Alberta Employment and Immigration, creating a balanced lifestyle is an ongoing process of deciding:

• How much time and energy do you want to devote to different aspects of your life?

• How can you reduce the time and energy you spend on low-priority activities?

If you often do not have enough time in the day to do everything you want to get done,
take stock of your current lifestyle. Then consider how you can reduce the time and energy you spend on low-priority activities.

Think about how much time you spend on the following activities:

• Work-related activities
• Family and home activities
• Relationships (outside of your immediate family)
• Leisure activities (including hobbies, relaxation and time alone doing something you enjoy)
• Community involvement.

Then ask yourself the following:

• Are you satisfied with the amount of time you spend on each activity?
• If not, what would you like to change?
• Are you basing your choices on what you really want or on what you think you should want?

After completing this exercise, you will be in a better position to make the changes needed to achieve better balance. Keep in mind that taking time for leisure and personal growth is a necessity, not a luxury, stress management experts insist.

Also be realistic—we all have times in our lives when the balance will be tipped for a while (when you start a new job, have a baby, move, etc.). If you remain out of balance for months, however, you may need to re-examine your lifestyle choices.

Here are some tips for making changes:

• Organize, organize! Keeping lists and thinking ahead will be a big help in achieving more weekend time for leisure activities.

• Lower your standards. If you work outside the home, forget about maintaining your home as a full-time homemaker would.

• If one person is doing too much household work, get everyone involved.

--Sources, Alberta Employment and Immigration

Take the work-life balance quiz

AMSC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help your employees effectively manage work and life issues. The program is available to all Regular and Associate members. If you would like additional information on EAP, please contact Paul Mizzi at 310.AUMA, Ext 4543 or at pmizzi@auma.ca.

Thank you,

Wendy Graden
Executive Officer, HR Shared Services & Corporate

Paul Mizzi
Director, Benefits Services

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