Work may be one of the most important part of an individual’s life as there is just this sense of fulfillment that it gives most individuals. Careers and occupation are inevitably associated with the self awareness of individuals as important members of the society. Most people find their purpose within the frame of their work and this means a lot to them. However, is there more to our lives as individuals than work? Of course, there is. There is family and friends. There are other little things that make up our lives.
The sense of fulfillment individuals get from their works may lure them into feeling only purposeful when they work. The high rate of technological development has increased the rate of business activities and also the number of competitors. This has in turn led to unforgiving hours for workers.
The higher requirements due to the increasing number of competitors have put employees through a lot of stress trying to keep up and stand out. The problems that needs to be solved keeps increasing as more problems are solved. The average worker is kept on their toes, already thinking of a solution to the next problem even before the present one is solved.
Thus even when workers are at home, they still spend a lot of time working and thinking of how to solve a problem. This affects family time. Apart from this, it affects the health of workers as it may result in higher mortality rates and higher probability of nervous breakdown. All in all, having workers who cannot spend time with their families without thinking about work is not good in anyway for the society. Hence, the need to balance work and family life is very paramount.
It is common knowledge that this need is crucial. However, the knowledge on how to satisfy this need is not common. The reason for this article is to recommend a few ways of leaving work where it should be ( in your workplace) and having healthy family time.
Some of the recommendations are;
1 Effective Planning
There is this trend of working for hours nonstop with little to show for it that we term as “being busy”. Really, it is not about being busy. It is about what you are busy doing. Employees are “busy” at work all day and come home fatigued only to get “busy” again, yet achieving nothing significant. Effective time management must be put to work. There are so many things to do? Try making a plan for doing all the tasks. Never jump to the next one until the first one is complete. This method may look slow to you but it is the most effective way of completing tasks in the office in no time. Not planning your work effectively will only cause chaos that will encroach on your time with family.
2. Delegating of duties
This is for employees who have subordinates. Most superiors have this inherent feeling that no one can do the work better than them. This makes them spend time doing tasks that could have been best assigned to a capable employee. Some individuals do not even understand the true meaning of delegation of duties. It is not delegation if you are breathing down the person’s neck all the time in the name of supervising the work. Delegating tasks will improve productivity and cause higher responsibility in other members of the staff. Delegation shows a level of trust and in such a trusting work environment, tasks get completed in timely fashion giving workers time for their families and themselves.
3. Setting priorities
This is important in two folds. The first is prioritizing tasks at work and the second is deciding what takes preeminence; work or family. The first part is quite synonymous with effective planning. Hence, the focus will be on the second part. Choosing between work and family is a complicated issue. However, it is a choice that should be made sometimes. Determine your priorities and create a person schedule that makes it possible to be at home more and to also work efficiently.
4. Switch off your phones when you are at home
This is basically not possible for people who work in the emergency services. However, it is an option for people who may get easily distracted by correspondence from work even during their off duty hours. Try to make a decision to not reply work related correspondence after work. This will help improve your family time. In this case of emergencies, this method should not be used as it may have very terrible consequences. The best solution to this is having efficient subordinates or fellow workers who are reliable enough to delegate tasks to. If this method is followed, the number of after work hours correspondence will reduce noticeably.
5. Introspection
This is also quite important. A lot of people throw themselves wholly into their work lives to avoid confronting other issues in their lives. Just like the policeman who recklessly throws himself into harm’s way because he feels he has nothing else to live for, there are people who do the same with their works. The human mind may go to great lengths to avoid traumatic situations and may make excuses for why you are just so extremely busy that you have no time for yourself. However, the reason is deep down. Hence, the need for introspection. People in this situation need to identify the reason why they are doing what they do if they want to change it. Identify the reason why you are working so hard. What are you trying to compensate for? Then, try to find solution to that area of your life.
Family is important and so also is work. The need to create a healthy balance between these two is very urgent and following the tips above will bring you closer to finally leaving work at work and enjoying quality time with family.
