The Daily Saint

New Definitions of Work-Life Balance?

Photo by Gilest

I love the concept of work-life balance.  Putting it into practice, now that's where things get difficult. 

Difficult, but not impossible.  Julie Mortgenstern, who writes alongside David Allen at Business Week offers this as fresh insight:

"Work-life balance is not about the amount of time you spend working vs. not-working. It’s more about how you spend your time working and relaxing, recognizing that what you do in one fuels your energy for the other."

What she's really saying is what Pope Paul VI called for in the late 1960's.  He coined the phrase, "unity of life" and he meant to encourage folks to see their work and personal values as integrated one with the other. 

One of the tragedies of the entire Bill Clinton scandal was not so much what he did (although hardly commendable).  Rather, it was the paradigm that he promoted: private life and public life as separate entities.  I have heard many of my students over the years buy into this gospel- i.e. "what I do in my own time is my business and not yours!"  Both true and false.

So, what is work-life balance?  Simply put, work-life balance is the art of maintaining the integrity of both your labor and your love.  Someone once said that a job is what you're paid for and a vocation is what you're made for.  Now that's work-life balance.

Podcast #3: An Inside Look at my Projects List

Photo by Sleepy Terry

In this episode I take you behind the scenes to my weekly project list.  This will help you see what an average week throws at me and two simple ways to stay on top of it.

PLAY PODCAST

Quiet Moments that Boost Productivity

This morning I chose to arrive 15 minutes later to work.  Not late just later.  In that same block of time, I sat quietly and read an article that I've been putting off for a while.  A great use of a quarter hour.

Where in your schedule are 15 quiet moments?

I like to think that there is a bit of monk in all of us.  The BBC series, Finding Sanctuary was so popular because of this. When I take students away from the noise and hustle of the world, they too find that quiet moments actually boost their overall well-being when they return to the "real world".

Some suggestions from Finding Sanctuary:

1. Find a quiet place free from distraction
2. Sit with your limbs uncrossed and with a straight back, hands in your lap
3. Simply breathe at regular speed but breathe deeply and relax
4. Close your eyes and think of a beautiful scene from the natural world
5. Take a simple phrase and repeat it continuously in time with your breathing

Five Meditation Phrases from the Christian Tradition:

• Come and illumine my darkness
• Be still and know that I am God
• God be in my head and in my understanding
• Come Holy Spirit and inflame my heart
• Come Lord Jesus

"Last Call" is a Powerful Phrase

When did you last see the phrase "last call"? Did it annoy you or grab your attention?

I recently used that phrase in an email subject line. After several attempts at reaching someone, I got desperate.

It worked and the project I was working on got just enough momentum to keep moving.

Last call...

How to Simulate Stress When Your Schedule Gets Soft

With the school year winding down educators and their students can be tempted to take it easier than usual.  You can almost hear the "T-Minus" clock ticking in the background.

While less stress is generally a good thing, a high pressure schedule can turn to mush without some performance expectations along the way.  You can either enjoy a low-stress, low output job or you can simulate stress in order to increase productivity. 

Like a good flight simulator, simulated stress can actually enhance the quality of your work.

Simulations might include:

1. Setting a deadline for a project that would otherwise be put off.
2. Rewarding yourself for making a commitment and keeping it.
3. Chopping up your work- I'll only work on this task for the next 40 minutes.
4. Sticking to your routine.
5. Pushing yourself to work 30 minutes earlier in the day or 30 minutes later.
6. Taking on something new so that you don't get bored.

Whatever you decide to do, keep pushing yourself and listen to your gut.  At the end of the day, you'll know if you did exemplary work or if that T-Minus clock got the best of you.

Birthdays & Time Management

Thursday Bram had this interesting post over at LifeHack about being "ruthless with your time management."  Two of her suggestions included the importance of planning your day and ignoring irrelevancies.  Yesterday I took her advice to heart and scheduled a day off.

During my day off, I spent time with the family, talked with friends on the phone and chatted with nephews about the latest video game that just hit the market.  The less important details of life could wait and the cause of the day (the big 34) was enough to give everyone around me a boost.

For a great celebration of your birthday, try out these simple steps:

• Make it a fun day: plan events that you can share with others.  A hike, a trip to the park or simply an adventure to find the greatest flavor of ice cream- all work well and cost very little.
• Let those around you know what is important to you.  I'm not a huge cake fan so I let my wife know that I'm ok with other options.  I also go over the day's schedule with the kids and get their input, planning things that they will enjoy as much as I will.  Avoid the temptation of thinking that your family and friends will read your mind and get you the perfect gift.  If you really want something or want to go somewhere, make it happen.
• Let your family know that you appreciate them: sure, birthdays are fun but folks are also glad when they are over.  Let your family know that you are grateful for their kindness and whatever gifts you receive.  Tell them that you had a great day and that they are special to you.

I've found that by making a big deal of my own birthday, it's created a template for other birthday celebrations in the family.  My kids now know that their birthdays are just as important and the entire family gets to enjoy and join in on the fun.

How to Break from a Monotonous Routine

Photo by Vu Bui

On most Tuesday mornings you'll find me at my local Dunkin Donuts and then in the office by 6:30am.  I skip my morning routine completely in favor of an adjusted route that gets me to work before anyone else. 

As I've noted before (Mini Routines Enhance Productivity & A Backup Plan for Your Morning Routine), morning routines are very important to getting the day started on the right foot.  I try to start my day at 5am every week day, getting to work by 7am and beating the rush of traffic and last minute driving delays. 

But once a week, I blow up my routine.

On Tuesdays, I skip all of the usual components of my morning routine, from prayer time to the Senseo coffee ritual.  Instead, I jump right into the shower and then head off for work.  I treat myself to a cup of coffee on the way and get to work while it's still dark.

For me, this once-a-week break in my routine works wonders.  First, it keeps my momentum from Monday moving in the right direction.  Second, I get to enjoy a great cup of coffee.  Third, I can enjoy some quality silence before everyone else gets to work. Fourth, I can tackle some difficult projects that need attention, before the cram and busyness of the day settles in.  Why not switch up your morning routine one day per week?

The Spiritual Twist
Trappist monks have often had the tradition of an extended walk, just to 'clean out the cobwebs'.  Even elderly monks will take part in a 6-7 mile hike.  Like a sports car that should be driven fast and hard every once in a while, even the monk knows that his body can benefit from some extended periods of exercise. 

This Friday: A Quote from St. Augustine on Organization

St. Augustine of Hippo, a tremendous saint from Africa in the 4th century once said, "peace is the tranquility of order." Some thoughts as we wrap up our week:

• to which project at work did you bring order this past week?
• which project do you feel most "at peace" with?
• what can you do at home this weekend to unclutter or simplify?

The great misconception about a desire for order is that it's about controlling and being obsessive.  I tend to think that those who maintain order at home and at work are not so much control freaks but have figured something out that the rest of us have yet to discover. 

Introducing 14 Surefire Stressbusters

Photo by Kortini

It's official- stress is increasing as fears of a recession are looming.  Whether it's the housing market, workplace insecurity or personal troubles, stress is here to stay.  I'd like to introduce a process that's sure to counter this trend.  It's called Surefire Stress Busters.

My friend Gene Monterastelli has developed this program and I'll be a contributing partner for the section on time management.  Surefire features a nice combination of audio segments, ebooks and traditional email information.  Best of all, it's free!

Sign up today by clicking here or by entering in your information in the widget "Free Stress Busting EClass" to the right.  Enjoy!

Are You a Spectator or a Participant?

Photo by HometownInvasion

If there is one thing that GTD teaches us it's to close the open loops in our life.  These often revolve around our project list.  It's often the  seemingly small projects ('buy gift for Claire') that we leave open until the very last minute, when we are forced to do something ('only one day until Claire's birthday').  The lesson?  Act on your thoughts and keep your projects moving...somewhere and somehow.

My students and I have been studying a critical event from the 1960's which I believe encourage the closing of some open loops and the opening of others.  Vietnam War?  Nope.  Labor movement?  Not even close.  We've been studying what is known as the Second Vatican Council.

Vatican II was a meeting (actually a series of them) which lasted from 1962-1965 and involved nearly 2500 Catholic bishops.  Some key decisions were made at Vatican II, including the groundbreaking idea of holding worship services (Mass) in the language of the people.  But that's not even remotely close to being the most important aspect of the council. 

What Vatican II did for Roman Catholics and for the world was to encourage people to go from being spectators to participants.   When we become participants, we take responsibility and that of course involves risk and vulnerability.

Some areas in life in which we can move from spectatorship to being players might include:

• Leadership at work: rather than being a complainer, a participant takes action where he can and does his job to a high level.
• Leadership at home: rather than putting himself first in the family, a participant seeks to lift up those around him.  What can I do to make my home happier for those around me?
• Leadership in your community:  close an open loop (i.e. the school board is spending money irresponsibly) by running for office, volunteering on a committee or hosting a party.

You can see the interchange between leadership/participation and the closing of loops.  The best online resource for a Vatican II overview can be found here. I believe that we are all capable of leadership which is a fancy word for being a participant ... in life.