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FEATURE ARTICLE
GAIN CONTROL
OF YOUR WORK AND YOUR LIFE
It's been said that people pay more attention to balancing their checkbooks
than they do balancing their lives.
In today's crazy,
helter skelter economy, it's no wonder so many of today's workers
feel their lives are "overdrawn."
But you can restore
sanity and balance to your life the same way you get your financial
house in order.
The key is setting
boundaries. Like setting limits to control personal spending, you
establish limits on how you budget your time.
For example, you
might promise yourself that you'll leave work every day no later than
6 p.m. Or vow to spend at least 30 to 45 minutes for lunch each day,
away from your desk.
Boundaries are
commitments you make around the things that are important, standards
you want to live by, ideals you want for yourself and rules that protect
you to live the life you want.
Here are some
other ways boundaries can help you gain control of your work and your
life:
1. Limit your
office-related cell phone or email use after hours or on weekends.
Return calls or emails when you're back at work.
2. Agree with
coworkers you won't talk about business during lunch, breaks or after-hours
social events.
3. Don't take
your computer, pager or cell phone on vacation.
4. Establish an
"interruption-free-zone" during your work day where you
close your door to visitors, don't answer phone calls or emails.
5. Learn to say
"no." Use your job description as a way to filter out assignments
that should be done by others.
6. Establish priorities
and use them as a template for spending your time, delegating projects
to others or not doing them at all.
7. Recognize what
is most important in your life and make time for it. Some common important
items that you might be missing or wanting more of might be time off,
vacations, exercise and time with family and friends.
8. Don't be afraid
to ask for help. Know your limitations and if you sense you're reaching
the edge, talk to your supervisor or colleagues.
Make gaining control
of your work and life a priority. Set boundaries, commit to them and
fiercely protect them.
Remember, it's
your life that's in the balance!
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