The problem with see-saws is that if you’re on one side and a well-meaning but generously proportioned individual jumps on the other side, you’re suddenly undergoing training for the NASA program or spending hours in casualty nursing a concussion of gigantic proportions.  While many of us won’t have been on see-saws since we were in size two shoes, we’re all sitting on one end of it at work.

From the staff who believe in your business and put in extra hours, to the new start-up who is putting their life and soul into their business, everyone needs to consider how best to achieve the work/life balance. 

In essence, this balance is a mixture of the time and energy that you spend at work, and the time and energy you spend outside of work – an obvious concept.  However, many of us unwittingly have our see-saws tilted too much towards the work side and less towards the life side – and this can have serious repercussions.

If the balance is too far tilted towards work, then individuals run the risk of ‘burning out’, affecting their health or their relationships.  When you consider the increasing number of staff nationwide suffering with the damaging effects of stress (everything from feeling slightly unwell to serious breakdown), you’ll realise the scale of the tilt problem.  Time away from work – and not thinking about it either(!) - is essential to maintain productivity, a sense of perspective and general well being. 

For the small business owner, this might seem like something impossible to achieve – how do you take time away from the office for yourself, potentially losing contracts because you’re not at the end of the phone there and then, and still run your business?  On the flip side of the coin, you should ask yourself:  How many contracts might I lose if I’m too tired and stressed to deliver effectively?

Much of this may come down to your mindset – are you someone who works to live, or lives to work (another cliché rolled out on a depressingly regular basis)?  The former will most likely be able to achieve a good work/life balance while the latter might struggle to ensure that they have the mixture correct. 

There are no right or wrong answers to the question of how best to achieve the work/life balance – and different things will appeal to different people.  Below are a few ideas on how you could start to work on your see-saw:

• Schedule some time every month to do something purely for yourself – go to the gym, get a facial, have a round of golf, take your family out for a meal, take a course on something that you’ve always wanted to try
• Look at your company diary – can you find a day when you and your team can get out of the office to do some team-building?  There are many excellent opportunities for this across the Arun area
• Start work when you say you’ll start work and finish when you’ll say that you’ll finish.  If you want to work 9 to 5, then stick to it.  If you know that there’s a particularly heavy load about to bounce you into outer space, amend and then stick to your time schedule.  Plan, for example, to work 8 to 8 for a week to get the work done – and don’t then leave at midnight!  For one, your family really will not thank you and for two, you’ll be so unproductive on the day after you did your midnight stint that you’ll actually get more behind
• Consider getting some training for you and your staff on how to react positively to problem situations.  Using NLP techniques including positive visualisations can make seemingly impossible tasks possible  – thus lowering stress levels and preventing the ‘I must work until midnight to make this happen’ scenario.  Call Whole Being in Felpham and Littlehampton and get help with this (0845 241 0490)
• Look into Corporate Social Responsibility opportunities. CSR will give your colleagues a chance to grow and develop outside of the work environment
• Go on holiday.  Whether you sit on the beach for a week or redecorate your house, being away from work will help you to recharge your batteries and be more productive on your return.

The work/life balance is possibly one of the most difficult things to achieve in business, but with a little work and dedication to yourself, it is definitely possible.  See-saws have never been so much fun…