November 6, 2009 • 8:44 pm 0
More and more people these days seem to want to be entrepreneurs. Some do so out of a feeling that they are best suited for it- others because they sense opportunities they believe have not been exploited. What kind of life do you lead as an entrepreneur? Is it the dream world that it is often made out to be? What are the challenges involved? Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Entrepreneurs, Work Life Balance
February 12, 2009 • 12:23 pm 0
Are we tilting towards work in the work-life balance equation, asks Gina Passarella in an article in Law.com. The article speaks of young associates asking for more assignments- at the cost of work-life balance- to keep their jobs in a downturn which is affecting all sections of society.
Filed under: Trends, Work Life Balance , economic downturn, work/life balance
January 22, 2009 • 12:46 pm 0
The pressures of an economic crisis have added to the stress levels of many executives. A few examples of recent events typify this manifestation:
Filed under: Organisations, Work Life Balance , Work Life Balance.com, work/life balance, workplace stress
November 29, 2008 • 1:16 pm 3
For those of you who, like most others, are struggling with life balance issues, I would like to recommend “How To Practice The Art Of Life Balance”. This is an ebook complied by Stacey Hoffer Weckstein of Create A Balance which you can download for free:). It is a compilation from 32 bloggers who participated in a group writing project. The topics are diverse, the perspectives are manifold but they all have a common theme- attaining and maintaining life balance.
Filed under: A Step A Day, Work Life Balance , A Step A Day, Life Balance Ebook, Stacey Hoffer Weckstein, Work Life Balance
November 24, 2008 • 6:40 am 1
I enjoyed reading a post by Stephanie Vora called ” Are You Happy With Your Work/Life Balance? ” . Ms. Vora, a certified coach in the UK lists a series of questions to prompt you to think about how “in-balance” your life is. So much is said and talked about work/life balance these days. I ask: What does it mean to you? Is it about the number of hours you spend at work? Is it about the lack of time and energy to do anything other than work?
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: A Step A Day, Work Life Balance , A Step A Day, Stephanie Vora, Work Life Balance
November 4, 2008 • 7:09 pm 1
Work/life balance is getting more attention in the corporate world than ever before as people struggle to make the best of what life offers them or cope with what life flings at them- at work and at home. In this context, it is interesting to see how different organizations seek to facilitate a better work/life balance for their people. I came across an article by Pamela Weinsaft in The Glass Hammer – an on-line community designed for women executives.
Filed under: A Step A Day, Work Life Balance , A Step A Day, Bain & Company, The Glass Hammer, Work Life Balance
October 29, 2008 • 7:00 am 0
Just read a blog post about Work-Life Balance that I thought was very well written and specially meaningful. It is by Dr. Mary Coussons-Read in her site Powerful Mind Coaching. She is the Professor of Psychology and Health & Behavioural Science at the University of Colarado, Denver.
She writes of how we have grown to believe that work is supremely important. We end up with a sense of guilt that we have not been able to spend as much time on other non-work events- which are equally important.
Filed under: A Step A Day, Work Life Balance , A Step A Day, Dr. Mary Coussons-Read, Work Life Balance
February 6, 2008 • 4:56 pm 0
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which manages immigration and resettlement services for the Canadian government, has asked employees to observe a BlackBerry Blackout.
The department’s deputy minister, Richard Fadden, sent out a memo asking employees to implement a BlackBerry “blackout” between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and on weekends and holidays.
Interesting idea. I mean just see how addictive the BlackBerry is. Leave alone at work, it has virtually become to many an extension of themselves. Apart from at meetings and the workplace, the BlackBerry has us in its hold at the park, at the gym and on the beach. I won’t be surprised to hear that a mountain climber announces his success by dashing off a message on his BB!
Years ago, when I first saw someone speaking on his cell while driving I thought this wired up guy was talking to himself. I thought he was pretty animated for one one thinking out aloud! Later it was evident that he was driving, speaking to his team mate, listening to music, pulling down his email and sending a message at the same time. Ok, he was breathing and humming with the music, too !
The BlackBerry is a fascinating convenience. But it has no magic. If you don’t control your use of it, you allow it to soon take control of your life.
Filed under: Work Life Balance , BlackBerry, Work Life Balance
January 9, 2008 • 9:20 am 0
The most popular resolution made at the end of each year is probably: ” I will make and stick with my New Year’s Resolutions this year” !
Many of us make resolutions, few get to keep them.
Here are the Top Ten Resolutions made according to a survey of over 300,000 respondents world -wide conducted by The GoalsGuy :
1. Lose Weight and Get in Better Physical Shape
Physical activity builds physical vitality. With every year of your life, you have more to gain from being physically active; as your age-related risks of chronic disease increase, regular exercise generally slows or reverses that trend.
2. Stick to a Budget
It’s been said that the best defense is a good offense. Developing and sticking to a realistic budget is a brilliant offensive move as it prevents overspending and ensures peace of mind.
3. Debt Reduction
One of the first things you have to do before any debt can be eliminated is to stop using charge accounts. If you continue to use the accounts, you are only fueling the problem, and building on it, not solving it.
4. Enjoy More Quality Time with Family & Friends
More and more people are resolving to spend more quality time with family and friends this year. This means you must consciously decide to actively and purposely work on improving your family situation every day.
5. Find My Soul Mate
Romance is alive and well as more and more people are looking for that special someone, their soul mate who lights their fire, the ONE whom they love unequivocally and who shares their worldview.
6. Quit Smoking
Becoming a non-smoker is probably one of the best decisions you can ever make, and is a life changing as well as a life saving decision.
7. Find a Better Job
A new year provides a sense of getting a free do-over, so you can try again and get it right. Many people resolve to find better jobs or to take a new approach to the jobs they’ve already got.
8. Learn Something New
People throughout the world are realizing that a strong resolve to lifelong learning is more than just education and training beyond formal schooling. A lifelong learning framework encompasses learning throughout the life cycle, from cradle to grave and in different learning environments, formal, non-formal and informal.
9. Volunteer and Help Others
A popular, non-selfish New Year’s resolution, volunteerism can take many forms such as spending time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house to name a few.
10. Get Organized
Resolve this year to plan your days, reduce interruptions, clean off your desk, say “No”, and make detailed lists. The benefits of getting more organized include being able to save time, as you no longer look for the same things over and over again or need to replace things you can’t find at all.
Gary Ryan Blair is the inspiration behind New Year’s Resolution Week. This annual event was founded on the premise, that a single resolution can positively and profoundly create lasting change in your life and help to make the world a better place.
I am sure most of us would see ourselves in these resolutions. My top resolutions, not surprisingly for my age, all seem to be health related!
Do something different this year. Don’t just make resolutions. Keep them.
Filed under: Work Life Balance , life goals, New Year Resolutions
December 11, 2007 • 7:04 am 1
My post today in the A Step A Day series was titled: Not saying “No” means “Yes”.
By co-incidence, a few hours later, I came across this article in the Washington Post which I found quite interesting. Laura Sessions Stepp asks “ Why is it hard for adults to say No?“.
A few things caught my attention: “In order to say yes to what’s truly important, you first need to say no to other things,” says William Ury, a social anthropologist by training and a professional negotiator based at Harvard Law School.
Ury who wrote ” The Power of a Positive No” this year says the significance of saying no is a recent epiphany for him. “It’s the defining challenge of our age.” he says.
Secondly, the actual word “no” — as well as “yes” — starts appearing when a child is about 18 months old, as signaling between parents and children becomes more complex.
Third, by age 15 or 16, young people possess virtually all the cognitive abilities to make good decisions that adults have, according to Baruch Fischhoff, a professor of social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University.
Like adults, they must know 3 things to use those skills well:
Looks like these skills are best learnt during childhood. Can they be learnt later in life? I am sure they can but it would take that much more effort and time to master.
Filed under: Work Life Balance , assertiveness, personal development
