Given the competitive marketplace, job applicants can feel pressured to prove that they’re willing to give 110 percent, all the time. While demonstrating enthusiasm and eagerness for a role is an admirable trait, most people do not want their professional endeavors to consume their entire lives.
While some organizations provide perks that can include flexible scheduling, generous vacations, onsite daycare, and even subsidized meals, these companies are still the exception in the U.S. So, how do you take care of yourself and find a balance between being a committed professional who also has a time for family, community, and leisure activities?
One thing to help you discern how to achieve balance in your life is to prioritize what personal and professional values are most important to you. Once you know what you value, you can take stock of how you spend your time, then adjust and reallocate that to ensure that the way you are spending your time is in alignment with your values. In taking care of yourself, you’re improving the quality of your own life, and as is often the case, this shows ripple improvement in the quality of life for those around you.
To realign how you spend your time with your values, try what I call the P.L.A.Y. method:
- PRIORITIZE – as Stephen Covey wrote, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.” If dinner with your partner is the only time you get to talk, and your relationship is high on your list of values but you’ve been skipping meals to study, it is time to re-prioritize.
- LIVE – Here are the questions to ask yourself: What choices do I need to make that I can live with? To what do I say no? To what do I say yes?
- ACCEPT – Things may not feel balanced right now. But remember, now (and this) won’t last forever. Stress can come from the way we perceive the world, not always from the way the world really is. Every reaction we have is a choice, and sometimes a deep breath may be healthier than getting angry. Know that change requires commitment and self compassion as you aim to bring balance into your life. It’s also okay if not everyone agrees with the choices you’re making to care for yourself.
- YOU – You will be healthier and enhance the quality of your own life and those around you when you are in balance. Here are a few tips to help you maintain or regain balance:
- Breathe – Slowly, deeply. Breathing deeply slows the pulse and relaxes the nerves.
- Five minutes of intentional alone time in the morning. Enjoy the silence, reflect, ground yourself for the day.
- Choose to eat well. You will feel better and have more energy for the things you want to do.
- Indulge in a guilty pleasure once a week. This is about balance, remember! Most everything is okay in moderation.
- Get some kind of regular physical exercise. Again, you will feel better and have more energy.
- Find the humor in the situation. Humor can de-stress tough moments. When it is appropriate, smile or laugh and watch the tension dissipate.
- Let go of perfectionism. No one is perfect, and none of us has the control we think we might. Best to go with the flow and accept when things are “good enough.”
- Seek support / take advantage of resources. Part of being balanced is knowing when to ask for help.
- Be 100% present in the moment. Studies have shown that people accomplish more, and more effectively when they are not multitasking. Give your attention to the moment – especially when you are communicating with another person.
- Appreciate the mini-miracles. The sunrise, the color of autumn leaves, the hot shower – things that are so often taken for granted really are “mini-miracles.” Notice them. Appreciate them. You’ll be surprised at how much happier you feel.
When you are interviewing for a position that you really want, by all means, reassure your prospective employer that you are eager and willing to contribute. And when you get the job, fulfill that promise. But remember, check in regularly with your values and if you need to reset, it’s time to P.L.A.Y.
