Page 62 - Free Yourself From

Balancing Your Work and Life 45

The Facts About Work-Life Balance

Since the 1980s, work-life balance has become an increasingly talked
about issue. I remember starting my career in the late 70s and early
80s. Even with so much to prove as a woman in a male-dominated
industry, I “left work at work” for the most part. I might bring home
some things to read or make a few phone calls from home, but it was
much easier to separate work from personal time without PDAs, e-
mails, and cell phones to create a permanent link. The belief that all
work is 24/7 and global, as well as the ubiquity of home offices, make
us feel that we can, and therefore probably should, always be at work.
Studies have shown that living a balanced life fosters the resilience
we need to be successful leaders. The highly successful executives I
coach and work around overwhelmingly have well-rounded lives. They
work hard at their jobs but also find time for family and friends and
make it a priority to take care of themselves. It shows in their ability
to approach day-to-day challenges and problems with focus, energy,
grounded perspective, and good judgment.
Maintaining that sense of balance is important to both women
and men, and a challenge to everyone. But women, by virtue of
our wiring or our situations, or both, feel it more. In a recent
survey, 83 percent of women with jobs agreed that they have a
hard time balancing work and family, and say they are trying to
find a better rhythm in their life. That’s no surprise because
women are under more pressure than men in most cases to fulfill
and balance all the multi-roles in their life. Another driving factor,
which we will talk more about later in the chapter, is the need to
please and setting higher than expected standards for ourselves.
All organizations go through periods where employees are
stretched very thin and some organizations or bosses accept long
hours as the norm for the wrong reasons. But I try to help my clients