As a practising coach, I see an alarming number of clients who cannot understand why they feel so unhappy. They have the trappings of what is perceived by many as success—good job, nice car, house, family.
But… there is a void.
The usual culprit? A chronic lack of Work-Life Balance.
When a client becomes aware of this, takes control, and decides not to accept these pressures as inevitable, their world opens back up—and their life gets an upgrade.
Put simply, Work-Life Balance (not to be confused with the equally interesting concept of Work-Life Blending) is about having enough time to work and to have a life outside of work—family, friends, outside interests.
Too many people today are struggling to juggle work, home, and leisure commitments. The feeling that work is taking over everything else is, sadly, widespread.
(Photo: Nathan Dumlao)
If any of the following comments ring true for you, then it’s time to take stock and strike the balance between your Work and your Life:
- “It’s very difficult for me to plan to do things during the week.”
- “I often have to cancel arrangements to see friends at the last minute due to work commitments.”
- “In the evenings and at weekends, I am so tired I rarely do much.”
- “Hobbies are non-existent during the week.”
- “Monday to Friday is like an operation.”
- “I rarely get home well before the children are asleep.”
- “I suppose I am sacrificing my home life and/or my social life for my career right now.”
- “I often get delayed unexpectedly. This causes friction at home.”
- “I live to work as opposed to work to live right now.”
- “I accept time-poverty as the price I must pay to escape money-poverty.”
- “I find it very difficult to ‘switch off’ in the evenings during the week.”
- “I treat my non-working hours merely as a chance to recharge the old batteries in time for my next clock-in.”
If any of these sound familiar, then chances are you haven’t so much chosen this unhappy pattern as drifted into it—under the false belief that there is no other way.
You’ve allowed Work and Life Outside Work to fall into imbalance. You’ve been hypnotised into believing this is simply the admission fee for the world of ‘success’.
Sometimes, workplace culture worsens the problem. For example, “Work hard and you will be successful” is a powerful truth—but it easily degenerates into “Working hard means working crazy-long hours.” In reality, working hard is about working smart—prioritising through effective time management.
When you choose to work smart, you can achieve peak competence and project control. This makes you indispensable to your employer, who will likely go the extra mile to retain you—including supporting your work-life balance goals.
Adopting the work smart strategy is a win/win.
In fact, one of the biggest keys to overall balance is in-work balance.
When you work smart, you maximise your impact while at work—so you can reclaim energy and time for life outside it. You bring your A-game precisely so you can enjoy your evenings, your weekends, your family, your passions.
If you’re telling yourself that exploring Work-Life Balance is a luxury you can’t afford right now, I urge you to think again.
There are no medals for martyring yourself to your job.
One of the great joys of being a career coach is guiding stressed-out clients to realise that putting focus back on their authentic values, goals, and needs gives them the power to make work fit around their life—not the other way around.
Let 2023 be the year you make your career whole—and create actionable insights for a better career life and a better life-life.
👉 Contact Clearview Coaching Group to discuss how Coaching can work for you: www.clearviewcoachgroup.com
