As we end 2011, I want you to take the time and reflect back on the various events that have made an impact in your life over this past year. After you had identified those events, count how many are work related versus life related. For the last president's message for this year I want to focus on the ever-fragile topic of "work-life balance" and how we all can be successful at that forever beckoning challenge. I took the time to reflect back on the events and milestones for 2011 and found that I listed quite a few work-related events, but most of those moments were life events that involved my family and friends. We all struggle with work, kids, parents, pets, economic stressors, and community, religious, and political affiliations that pull us in multiple directions. How can we balance all of these demands and stay on the path of a healthy balance of work and life?
I chose this topic because of some events in my life that have been both positive and negative and I know I struggle to reach a balance, I know I try very hard to pay attention to this every day. Several of the events that have occurred in my life, I will not be alone in their description, many of you will be able to relate similar stories. I am encouraging you to take time to reflect back and then take the time to identify how you can make your work-life balance equal and for those who are reading this and can check this off that you feel you have achieved this balance, congratulations and keep up the great work and maybe you can become a mentor to a colleague so they too can succeed at finding that forever-needed balance.
When work starts to consume your life, you become disconnected in so many ways: from family, friends, exercise, eating right, and sleeping. When you ignore the basics of life and taking care of yourself you become fatigued, you become inefficient in your daily work and in your daily activities of life. Even though you think that if you just stay 1 more hour at work, you will be much better off when you come back the next day, this is often put out there for debate. (Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control. Mayo Clinic Staff. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/work-life-balance/WL00056.)
As I researched information available to us as consumers and professionals about work-life balance, most sites give us some tips to help us balance our lives. I have highlighted a few that have assisted me in making that work-life balance a reality:
1. Schedule time with your family and friends. I maintain a calendar in my kitchen that we update weekly so we ensure that our activities are centered on family and if we have other obligations that may pull us away from family or friends, we look at where we can fit the family time.
2. Build down time into your schedule, assure that you remove yourself from your work, and have time to yourself. Here is the classic example: How many of you eat your lunch at your desk? OK, sometimes you have to but not every day. You become your work and you avoid downtime; take that 1/2 hour for lunch; meet a colleague, spouse, or friend, you will be amazed on how much better you feel and how better focused you are when you return to the office or back to your place of work.
3. Try and keep interactions with negative people to a minimum. Everyone has a person in his or her life that the negativity drains the positive out of you; this can be become extremely warring and potentially detrimental to your daily work.
4. Make exercise part of your life; 20 to 30 minutes a day has been proven to increase alertness and energy levels.
5. Make time for relaxation, take an hour back at the end of the week that you may have tacked on in the beginning and make a point to either relax or work on a hobby that you love to do: reading, sewing, and so on. (http://Webmd.com/balance/guide/5-strategies-for-life-balance, 2011: 5 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance, by Jen Uscher, WebMD Feature.)
Another expert states that when you really decide to concentrate on this work-life balance there are some potential things you may have to give up, and you have to be ready for this. Look at items that consume your time like being on the planning committee for the next bake sale or other projects for nonprofit organizations or community efforts. Maybe you need to take a break from these for a year and come back to it the following year. It is amazing what a few extra hours can do when you can get them back into your life, it provides a balance where you can now spend time on either family or friends or an activity that you have always wanted to but never had time to do it. (http://Forbes.com/2009/03/18/work-life-balance-leadership-careers-basics.html. Basic Steps Toward Work-Life Balance, by Tara Weiss, 03.17.09, 06:00 PM EDT.)
Some of my life events were work related as I stated before, but so many of them concentrated on my family and friends. My oldest daughter graduated high school and is now attending college and I remember for her senior night in high school I actually missed the STN Board Meeting (so here is the work-life balance test). I stayed back to be with her and I knew that our STN board was made up of the most hardworking, dedicated nurses and professional staff that I knew that they would run that meeting with or without me, and guess what, they did and they were profoundly successful in the progression of this society. My youngest daughter made a traveling volleyball team (many of you know what that means, I had no idea what we got ourselves into). We had many weekends away from home, but each one of those weekends brought our family closer, and the housework, that just waited until we got home!
On both sides of my family I have great siblings and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Our summer vacations had to be the best we ever had. We were all together and we all got along (which is a balance and feat in itself). I left those vacations feeling energized and you know I still draw energy from those vacations today. Those were good moments, but on a more solemn side we just recently received some devastating news about one of my very best friends. We are now dealing with an unknown future and this news has made me cycle back again to what is most important to me and I will need to adjust my work-life balance once again to keep everything in line. I try and follow the principles outlined previously and for the most part it has helped me maintain a balance of positive thinking and a positive work-life balance.
I strive every day to do the best I can in everything I do, but I also concentrate very hard to ensure that there is an appropriate balance to that strife. I make time for my family and friends without compromising my demanding job. I maintain optimistic thinking at all times. I believe the best in all people and I live every day thinking that all of us are good and that we are working toward that ever-fragile balance so we can be the best we can to continue on our life's journey in a healthy, successful manner.
I know the STN works very hard on making the society the best it can be with all of the members in mind when decisions are made. We take care of each other and we know how busy our every day work life is as well as our personal lives. We keep all of that in mind with our members so we can support each other during times of roughness and times of smooth sailing. I am so honored and blessed to be part of such an amazing organization of professionals and I hope that you feel the same way about STN. Keep reaching out to us about things that we can do better, how to increase efficiencies, increase offerings, and how you can be part of new opportunities with the STN.
I hope you all had a great 2011 and I wish for continued happiness and balance for 2012.