Episode 70 – We investigate the idea of work-life balance. What is it? Is it really a thing? How do we get it? 

Look at all this stuff we covered:

• What really IS work-life balance?
• Why much of the advice seems to be unhelpful
• It means different things to different people
• Three different perspectives from the ‘TED’ stage
• It is important and urgent for us to solve
• Work-life balance is a fallacy
• We could revisit our perspective
• Steve-In-The-Field’s adverts are definitely unhelpful!
• What happens if you ‘google’ family-life balance or hobby-life balance
• Considering the research, what are the practical steps?

Take up Shawn Achor’s DAILY challenge for 21 days

• Write down 3 gratitudes
• Journal 1 thing that went well because of you
• Exercise
• Mediate
• Perform 1 Random Act of Kindness

Take stock of your life

• Look at the whole picture
• Consider everything
• Michael Hyatt’s 10 domains can help:
• Social
• Parental
• Marital
• Physical
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Spiritual
• Financial
• Avocational (hobbies)
• Vocational (work)

Set goals for the two or three you want to improve

• Be specific
• How would you feel?
• What would be happening?

Work out the little things

• What are the little things you can do, which will support the bigger goals?
• How will you measure if you’re doing the little things?
• Keep a record…
• Make a commitment…
• Log a daily streak…
• How do we consider ‘work’ in light of these new plans?
• Boundaries
• Commitments
• Choices with intention
• Let us know how YOU got on – all the links and research are below

Here are the links to the resource where you can find out more:

• Wikipedia’s unhelpful definition
• Mental Health Foundation’s study
• Reed’s article
• Forbes and the evolving definition of work-life balance
• Steve’s plumbing work?
• Nigel Marsh’s TED Talk – It’s a problem to be solved
• Michael Walters’ TED Talk – Is it a fallacy?
• Shawn Achor’s TED Talk – Being happy in work (I love this talk so much)
• Houses On Line’s delivery standards?
• BBC stats on global pay scales
• Qora answers on salary
• Michael Hyatt’s Life Score Assessment

As always, we’re really grateful for your help in supporting this podcast. To do this, you can:

• Buy me a coffee (I’d be ever so grateful)
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• Contact us on Twitter – we are @sharppodcast here

Thanks EVER SO MUCH for listening. If we help you to BE BETTER at what you do, then it’s all been worth it!

Music and effects in this episode courtesy of:

https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/91924/

Neon Laser Horizon by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7015-neon-laser-horizon

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Aurea Carmina by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4982-aurea-carmina

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license