Dear friends,
Today I would like you to reflect for these few minutes on the importance of achieving a better work-life balance.
Working out this balance has never been more important than it is today.
It's not that the work we do for a living is to be written off as a necessary evil,
A drudgery that we'd all be better off without.
A world without work would,
After a time,
Prove to be every bit as tedious as a world without rest.
Our work is important for what it contributes to society,
Or should I say,
Most work is important for that reason.
There are exceptions,
Such as those described by the Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh.
In one of his 14 principles of engaged Buddhism,
He urges,
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.
Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live.
Select a vocation that helps realise your ideal of compassion.
In our time,
The lines between work-time and free-time have become indistinct.
This blurring seeps through both time and space.
In our always-connected world,
We are never more than a click or two,
Or a beep or two,
From our place of work.
And the rapid acceleration of the work-from-home idea has further clouded the distinction between work and home.
Time was when you left your place of work,
You travelled home to a place where you spent time that was for your family,
Your friends and yourself.
Of course there have always been opportunities for losing a balance between the two.
But this required you to go into work early or stay back late.
Unless you were the owner of the business,
You could expect someone to draw your attention to any propensity you might have to work to excess.
But there are no such restraints in a world whose processes are lubricated by emails and messages that are in circulation 24 hours a day.
In the absence of external corps,
There is a need for each of us to set our own boundaries.
Not only for the sake of our physical and mental well-being,
But even for the sake of the efficiency of the work itself.
Some of us,
Perhaps many of us,
Are in the happy position of having work that we really enjoy.
If we are fortunate,
Our work might even be described as a hobby rather than a job.
But still in that situation,
It is important that we maintain a balance between that work,
Agreeable as it is,
And the remainder of our lives.
In fact,
We will find it even more difficult to maintain a balance between one and the other if we have a work to which we'd be happy to devote all our waking hours.
So here are some suggestions that might help you in your desire to achieve a work-life balance.
1.
Establish time boundaries.
Set a time at which work starts and a time at which work ends.
Stick to these hours unless there is an occasional,
Very pressing need to work outside those hours.
2.
Establish space boundaries.
If you are working from home,
Make sure that you do your work in a fixed area with devices which are used for work only.
Convine your work to that area and to those devices,
And if possible keep them out of sight and sound once your working day is over.
3.
Establish a personal boundary.
If you are working from home,
Dress for work as if you were going out to work.
When the working day is done,
Change out of those clothes,
Take a break,
Clear your head,
And when you come back,
Remember you are coming back to your home,
Not to your workplace.
4.
Except in real emergencies,
Do not attend to domestic duties during working hours.
This is especially important if you are working from home.
If you fall into this habit,
The boundaries will be blurred,
Confusion will reign,
And you will find yourself slipping into ineffectiveness.
5.
Do not be tempted to check emails or work-related messages outside working hours.
If you check,
You will be tempted to worry or get working again,
So don't choose to work from home.
Remember you are at home.
It should go without saying that if you are working in work or working at home,
It is important that you take regular breaks.
Get up,
Move around,
Stretch,
Take a real lunch break.
We will all have read about the dangers attached to sitting for extended periods.
If you are tempted to sit for extended periods,
Set a timer to remind you to get up and move at regular intervals.
It is important.
I wish you well in your desire to achieve this important balance.
After all,
This is your life.
You work to live,
You don't live to work.
The futility of overwork is well captured in this story told about the Dalai Lama.
When he was asked what surprised him most about humanity he said,
Man,
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he is forced to give up his life to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present.
The result being that he does not live in the present or the future.
He lives as if he is never going to die and then dies having never really lived.
Thoughts there from the Dalai Lama.
So friends,
Keep safe,
Keep well.
Remember these are the days of your life.
Enjoy them,
Be grateful.
Namaste.
