| Knowing when to disconnect, shut it off, unplug, | | | | - Let voice mail or the answering machine take |
| or walk away from work is one of the essential | | | | your calls. |
| keys to work/life balance for harried and | | | | - On your voice mail greeting, be clear about |
| overworked people. | | | | when you will and will not be available. Update that |
| When was the last time you completely left work | | | | message regularly. |
| behind? How frequently do you take work home, | | | | - Exercise to burn off stress-and don't talk on |
| check e-mail or voice mail from home, or take | | | | your cell phone or into your dictation machine |
| your work with you on vacation? Do you feel | | | | while exercising! |
| you can't afford to not do these things? What's | | | | Obviously, some intrusions of work into personal |
| the real impact on your personal sense of balance | | | | life are unavoidable, depending upon the nature of |
| when you are consistently making work your top | | | | your work. If you manage a nuclear power plant, |
| priority? | | | | are a member of an organ transplant team, or |
| The work many of us do is extremely demanding | | | | have on-call responsibilities as part of your job, |
| of both our time and energy. In many cases, you | | | | then some intrusions go with the territory. |
| may allow the intrusion and justify the cost on a | | | | However, more often than not, we let work seep |
| personal level for real or anticipated gains on the | | | | into our personal lives even when there's not a |
| career level. But way too often, we're sacrificing | | | | bonafide emergency or time-urgent crisis. We've |
| family time, exercise, or much-needed personal | | | | become so accustomed to the ever-presence of |
| time without making conscious choices about the | | | | our work that we've unconsciously allowed further |
| implications and trade-offs. | | | | intrusions that have, in many cases, become |
| Many of us feel stressed and overworked | | | | unreasonable. |
| because we are overconnected. As a result of | | | | Our research involved hundreds of interviews and |
| the onslaught of information, along with the | | | | surveys to learn how busy people are achieving |
| never-ending ways that people can access us | | | | balance and integrating overwork solutions into the |
| anytime of the day or night, we feel perpetually | | | | lives. There are five key solutions that are |
| connected to our work. Think about the number | | | | working for these people, some of whom work |
| of technology resources you now use that were | | | | long hours, receive over 300 e-mail each day, |
| not commonplace just a few years ago. Cell | | | | travel extensively, and have families they |
| phones, pagers, e-mail, instant messaging, online | | | | treasure. Here are a few specific steps you can |
| chats, voice mail, call forwarding, wireless Internet | | | | take for each of these solutions: |
| pagers.... the list just keeps growing. How much is | | | | 1. PRIORITIZE AND ORGANIZE |
| enough of these technology tools and the | | | | - Know what you need to accomplish and focus |
| obsessive connection to our work?! And how do | | | | on that. |
| we begin to reestablish those important | | | | - Maintain a firm commitment to being organized |
| boundaries between our work and our personal | | | | and used systems that support that. |
| lives? | | | | - Ignore those e-mails and voice mails that are |
| In our book, "Dot Calm: The Search for Sanity in | | | | not really important. |
| a Wired World," we provide a wealth of "how to" | | | | 2. TAKE DAILY "TIME-OUTS" |
| tips for managing the work-life challenge: | | | | - Take a nap, a walk, or a mini-meditation break |
| The first step: JUST SAY NO!-and draw clear | | | | with a few minutes of silence. |
| boundaries. This takes on multiple forms: | | | | - Maintain daily rituals, such as teatime, meditation, |
| - Turn off your cell phone when you shouldn't be | | | | prayer, exercise. |
| interrupted. | | | | - Leave the office-and leave your work there. |
| - Don't take a cell phone to an appointment or | | | | 3. TAKE MINI SABBATICALS. |
| when you are focusing on someone else. | | | | - Enjoy a weekend trip with family or friends. |
| - Don't give out your cell phone number. Use it | | | | - Schedule game night (or movie night or pizza |
| only for outgoing calls. | | | | night) with your family. |
| - Screen calls using caller ID. | | | | - Plan a work-free family day at least one |
| - Block out time when you will not be interrupted. | | | | weekend each month. |
| - Hold certain times "sacred." If you make a | | | | 4. NURTURE THE SOUL AND MIND. |
| commitment for a social or family event, honor | | | | - Read a good book (unrelated to your work). |
| that commitment without interruptions. | | | | - Participate in community service activity with |
| - Use the "delete" option early and often. | | | | your family. |
| - Arrange for calls from the office only in cases | | | | - Go to a movie, the theater, the opera, or the |
| of emergency. | | | | museum. |
| - Maintain your commitment to "work-free" | | | | 5. NOURISH THE BODY. |
| vacations. | | | | - Exercise regularly. |
| - Make sure you are clear about what you value | | | | - Eat and sleep well. |
| and what is important to you. | | | | - Get a massage. |