Work-Life Balance: Possibility or Pipe Dream?
By Betsy Gutting
Yes, work-life balance is possible, even for lawyers and busy professionals. Possible, but not easy. Creating work-life balance is a choice that involves altering -- in small or big ways -- how you do your life. It means setting priorities based on what matters most to you, rather than designing your life around the expectations of others.
Creating balance challenges you to move out of your comfort zone. As human beings, we are comfortable with our existing habits and routines. Even if our patterns don’t give us the time to experience the joy and pleasure we desire, they are familiar. Like a well-worn shortcut on a walking trail, the all-work, no-play lifestyle can be the path of least resistance.
The idea of work-life balance can also threaten the way we see ourselves as professionals, and the pride we take in “doing whatever it takes” to get the job done. Being a “good lawyer,” for example, comes with a set of expectations we have defined in our own minds (expectations often affirmed by the law firm culture.) Living up to these standards leaves virtually no room for a healthy balance between life and work, much less time to feed our passions.
Making the shift: decide that balance matters
If you find yourself thinking about all the reasons you can’t have balance, shift your thinking to what you do want. Decide that you are committing to create a more balanced life. Committed decisions are powerful – they initiate desired results. You don’t have to know yet how you will make balance happen in your life. Just making the decision to have it will allow you to create space for what you want.
Once you have made the internal commitment, you can begin to imagine doing your life in a new way. To get your imagination flowing, ask yourself a few questions.
If you had work-life balance, how would your life be different? What would it look like? What will balance give you that you aren’t getting now? For example, if you would like better health and more vitality, what activity would make you feel more vibrant and alive?
Making it happen
Once you have committed to creating balance, expect resistance to surface. Resistance is any “obstacle” that blocks what we want. When I work with clients on balancing their work and life, the most commonly voiced obstacle is lack of time. Their schedules are already packed full. How do you make time for more of what you want, when your days and evenings are completely booked? For most people, taking one small step at a time is the easiest way to start.
Getting insight: try this exercise
To begin to make time for what they love, I have clients make a list of energy “juicers,” the activities that fuel their energy. Adding more “juicers” to their schedule results in higher productivity, more vitality and increased happiness. Then I have clients list their energy “zappers,” the tasks or situations that drain their energy. Together we look at where “zappers” might be eliminated or delegated to free up energy for more satisfying activities.
Identifying your energy “juicers” and “zappers” will give you insight on how you spend your time. You will also discover how your choices match, or conflict with, your true values. Armed with new information, you can make decisions that bring you more fulfillment and success.
7 steps to creating work-life balance:
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IDENTIFY your energy juicers and zappers
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PRIORITIZE your life based on what energizes you
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ELIMINATE or DELEGATE energy zappers
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SET NEW BOUNDARIES based on your values
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FOLLOW THROUGH with colleagues, loved ones, and yourself
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BE GENTLE ON YOURSELF as you form new patterns
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GET SUPPORT from a coach, friend, or mentor to help keep you on track and accountable to your goals.
Betsy Gutting is a career and personal coach based in Seattle, WA. She is passionate about helping lawyers and other professionals find true success and fulfillment in their careers, businesses, relationships and lives – including work-life balance! For a complimentary coaching consultation to discuss how Betsy can help you achieve your goals, contact her at betsy@betsygutting.com. By phone, 206.605.2900.