Let’s begin by breaking the Work Life Balance concept down into a simple formula. That is, life consists of 3 areas: – Work, Rest and Play. Within each area there are many sub-areas but for now let us just stick with these 3 areas.
As you know a standard day consists of 24 hours so divide 24 by 3 – thus each area represents 8 hours of our lives. To find balance on a daily basis may be a little tricky – in fact, I can hear most of you saying “but I work more than 8 hours a day and if you add in travelling time it is more like 10 or 12 hours”.
Fair enough, so let’s take this to a weekly level, using the same 8 hour segments per day there are 56 hours per week for each area thus if you work 10 hours a day for 5 days that is 50 hours of work with 6 hours left over.
Now try this for yourself, grab a diary or a piece of A4 paper and break down your Work, Rest and Play areas for the week; for each day I would like you to tally the number of hours you spent on each of the above stated areas and at the end of the week I would like you to tally each area to find the grand total for each.
OK, so now it is the end of the week and you have tallied each area to give you a grand total for each.
- What did you discover?
- Where do you spend your time?
Now that you have answered the above stated questions, the final step in this equation is to determine where you want to change your commitments and habits to ensure a balanced life? Perhaps you can figure this out on your own but I dare say a little help from an Accredited Counsellor and Human Resources Consultant would go a long way – so why don’t you call or e-mail me and set an appointment.
Blu Ripples – “Helping you through life’s ripples”®
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (2010 Version)
Katherine is the Founder of Blu Ripples, a Counselling practice in Sydney, NSW.
Initially commencing in 2003 as HR Aspects (Career Consulting Practice), Katherine rebranded her business to Blu Ripples in 2009 to incorporate Personal, Career and Workplace Counselling Services into her practice.
Katherine is a nationally registered Counsellor and a current Member of the Australian Counselling Association.
Before commencing her private practice in 2003, Katherine predominantly worked in Human Resources and Administration.
© 2010 - Katherine Foster T/as Blu Ripples
Updated Version 20 Oct 2023; Originally Posted 22 Sept 2010
Katherine's Photograph: 2023