How to Balance Your Life and Work Effectively. The Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual dimensions of Living.

Balancing Life and Work

Is your life out of balance? Do you spend more time at work than you would like? Do you concentrate too much on meeting everyone else's needs? How do your own needs get met?

There are four aspects of living that need your attention: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Paying too little attention to any one of them will create the feeling of being out of sync with yourself. Appropriate attention to each dimension will give you the power to find the right mix of priorities and actions for creating a balance between life and work. When you're in balance, you are more creative and more productive. Listed below are some actions you can take in each of the dimensions that will assist you in creating more balance between work and life:

1. Your physical self at work:
 Take frequent breaks.
 If you find you are sitting down a lot, stand up and move around approximately every 15 minutes.
 If you're on your feet, wear comfortable shoes, stretch your back and legs, and sit down periodically.
 Invest in an ergonomically correct work area.
 Take time for well-balanced meals.

2. Your physical self in life:
 Exercise.
 Rest and relax your body.
 Get the appropriate amount of sleep you need.
 Eat nutritious foods. —Refrain from smoking
 If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

3. Your emotional self at work:
 Monitor the emotions you feel.
 Take time to process what you observe.
 Refrain from dumping your feelings on someone else, especially when
 you're feeling angry.
 Take a break before dealing with an emotionally charged situation so that you can respond in an appropriate manner.
 At the end of the working day, release all your concerns so that you can be ready for time outside of work. —Leave work at work.

4. Your emotional self in life:
 Take time for yourself daily.
 Meditate, commune with nature, or read inspirational material.
 Sit and do nothing.
 Become comfortable with who you are outside of your title and occupation.

5. Your mental self at work:
 Plan your work and your time.
 Look for ways to eliminate time-bandits by using technology, unclut-tering your office, and saying "no" to requests that don't fit in with your master plan. Set reasonable schedules for project completion.
 Delegate any work you don't really need to do yourself.

6. Your mental self in life:
 Schedule family and personal activities.
 Unclutter your home.
 Let go of perfectionist tendencies about how things should be.
 Set goals that allow you to discover yourself.
 Pursue a variety of interests unrelated to work.

7. Your spiritual self at work:
 Align yourself as truthfully as possible with the organizational direction.
 Reflect daily on your personal goals and behavior.
 Consider whether you're on the most appropriate path for you.
 Determine whether your daily activity is aligned with what you truly want to accomplish.

How to Balance Your Life and Work Effectively. The Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual dimensions of Living.