So I am lying in bed completely awake at 02:13am in South Africa and I decide to do a post regarding that balance in life that allows us to not only be successful, but also happy.
I have been in IT/Tech for a very long time and as you may or may not know, its a very time consuming and somewhat irregular profession. If you are part of infrastructure, like myself, you will notice that time no longer belongs to you...i have gone out to places midnight or 02:00 or 04:00 etc whils the rest of the world carried on sleeping....I soon realized that I was getting older and need to find a balance...spend time with loved ones and also myself...
So I decided to try a scheduled approach:
Monday - Friday
08:00 - 17:00 (hardcore, goal driven work mode)
Monday - Friday
17:00 - 20:00
Family Time (unless something hectic came up that I just couldnt avoid)
Monday - Friday
20:00 - 23:00
Me time...family time or work time...this is unplanned time and was my choice as to what I would like to do with it.
Saturday - Sunday
I normally tell people that these days belong to my awesome and very supportive wife. Unless its absolutely critical, my weekend belongs to whatever she requires...
Using the above mentioned schedule somewhat helped me to keep my sanity and also promote quality of life...
Please comment let me know what you think is the perfect recipe to a balanced life...
We live in a borrowed time, at any moment we might kick the bucket. For working class people like us, most of the time we are fulfilling other people needs. Plans are good to be drawn but we will require our own space to enjoy the bliss for peace and serinity. God bless.
I fully agree, people intend to chase money and fame, instead of focusing on quality of life (for example)
Work-life balance is one of the major challenges of 21st century alongside global warming and poverty.
I think managing expectations is key here. You and your partner/family should be realistic as regards expectation to reduce the pressure.
Make sure you disconnect from work on weekends and during the holidays.
Wish you the best in your quest to strike a balance and do have a great summer with your lovely wife.
Great post :) your wife must be one lucky woman, I hope she appreciates all your efforts to make time for her and your family :)