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Issue
52: January 4, 2006
To our readers:
Balance in one’s life is a major accomplishment – balancing your work and personal lives not only makes for a more satisfying life, but a more productive one as well. The question is, with all the roles and responsibilities you have, how do you really manage to balance them?
It’s simple, but not easy to do: identify the things that are most important in your personal and professional lives and pursue those activities. Accomplishing this raises hard questions and requires that you make conscious choices about your priorities. Last month we looked at “rules to live by.” This month we challenge you to think about ideals you value and how much you value them.
Give yourself a quick test. Take a few minutes, and suppose you have been given $100,000 to spend as you please on the items listed below. Review the list and then proceed to make your selections. What would you purchase, and how much is it worth to you? You can place all your money on one item, or spread it over several items. Regardless of how you split the money, the total you spend should be $100,000.
Values budget sheet:
Success in your field
Fulfilling permanent relationships
Love and admiration of friends
A job that has a lot of status
Enjoying nature
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To own a business
Self-confidence, a positive outlook on life, peace of mind
Healthy life style
Civic and volunteer activities / philanthropy
Lifetime financial security
Freedom within your work setting
A creative work environment
To travel extensively
Spending time with family and friends
Spiritual awareness
Other ______________________
Other ______________________
Other ______________________
Other ______________________
The $100,000 looks like a decent amount of money, just as a lifetime looks like a decent amount of time, when you begin the exercise. It illustrates, however, that while you have a great deal of potential, your time and resources are limited and you must make choices in order to use both to your best advantage. It benefits you to recognize the limits that time, especially, imposes on you, so you can make well-thought-out, fully-considered choices regarding how you will spend your time.
Ideally you would spend time on activities, professional education, and personal learning that are in sync with your values, and would guide your life's decisions accordingly.
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For example, is it more important to you to be a member of the local school board or a member of your professional association? Is it more important to take that extended business trip or to come home a day earlier for family concerns? Is it more important to stay in your current job for the stability, or pursue a more exciting but riskier opportunity? Is it more important to personally care for an aging parent, or to pay someone else to do it so you can pursue important career goals?
In making decisions based upon your values, you need to recognize when your life circumstances, and therefore your priorities, change. As the primacy of your different roles changes, re-balance your investment in them. For example, as your children get older they require less caregiving. You can then spend more time on work, volunteer efforts, nurturing adult relationships, and/or pursuing new interests.
This process begins by identifying what is presently most significant to you and then budgeting your time and choices accordingly. The best way to make sure this occurs is to constantly fine-tune your life by 1) frequently reassessing your circumstances to determine what is most important to you, and 2) being honest with yourself. Though a demanding task, it is one of the most profound you can undertake, and is a great way to welcome the New Year.
Please address your reactions and comments to: kirk@kirkmillerandassoc.com
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