My business partner (Chris Fogarty) was giving a workshop the other day and one of the attendees asked her how you could find work/life balance with your job when you are overwhelmed with all of the work that needs to be done. In other words, it sounds nice to say that you want balance, but achieving it is another thing all together.

How do we do it? There really is no single answer to that question. Since ‘balance’ is something that you need to work on actively in and of itself – balance really is equal distribution of weight, right? So, in order to achieve work/life balance you need to stay in touch with both sides of the equation as they tilt back and forth – a teeter-totter if you will.

The best place to start this balancing-act is with you. After all, you are the one carrying all the weight that needs to be distributed. It is incredibly important to spend time getting in touch with ‘what’ makes you tick – in all aspects of life. This can be a daunting process, especially if you’ve never really spent time with Y-O-U. But, without this process nailed down you will have a difficult time deciding how you want to distribute all the activities of your life (including your work) as well as what you want to leave out. This is part of what can create the ‘overwhelm’ in your life. Lack of awareness around yourself may mean that you are taking on things in your life that you would carve out if you were more aware of your true needs.

An assessment that I have taken which I found to be extremely enlightening is called the DISC Profile. You can fine the online version here: http://www.discprofiles.com/orderonline.htm

If you are working in a corporate environment (or planning to) I would recommend the test that includes not only ‘you’ individually, but the team dimensions test too – which will give you an enlightening view of how you operate in a team environment.

Some other good personal assessment tools can be found on http://www.assessment.com

Go ahead, try it and get to know yourself inside and out.

Posted by Robin Ogden - FiredUP Careers

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