Finding Balance
STUDIES REVEAL THAT 51 per cent of working professionals' dream of work during their sleep, and that 70 per cent of these "sleep workers" say they wake up and put their "work dreams" to a action

Have you been getting little sleep and resist because you are busy until late every night and you get up early every morning? Are you burning the candle at both ends - working too hard and slowly tipping your life out of balance and your body out of shape? Do you ask yourself, when did life become all work and no fun? You probably blame your current work or boss. Spare them.
What your life has become is not because of them or any other groundless excuse you can think of. It's about the decisions or choices you make.

As while collar workers, we have dragged to our current state of being slaves of time - when time has suddenly become the omnipotent force over us. We have been racing against time or treating it as an abominable snowman at work. Time is indispensable. It is what you need to complete your tasks at hand, or to spend for a picnic with your family and friends.

Today, we are faced with many options that aim to take our lives back to its normal state. These remedies include more paid vacation leave credits or time management programs that teach you how to prioritise between and among tasks. There are a lot of possible solutions out there. However, there is one formula which works. It's called SPAM - Staying Positive Active and Motivated. Here are ways on how to be a work/life professional:

Set goals: Goals are the key drivers so make sure you identify them. What are your personal and life goals? With the goals in place, try to visualise the look and feel of the success you have in mind. The regular visualisation exercises tug the motivation and determination in you even more, taking you closer to your destination. Always keep in mind that to have effective goals is to ensure that they SMART - specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Plan and prioritise: Planning and prioritising are the skills required in gaining control of one's time. Develop a game plan months or even years ahead to ensure that the work is done each day in helping you to achieve your goals and objectiveness in the long run. Make sure that you are tagging them with realistic timelines and clear "to do" lists. You should be able to identify which tasks are urgent and important, urgent but not important, not urgent and important, not urgent and not important. Remember, do not leave these great ideas on paper. Act on them now!

Assess: Ensure you set a timeline to your goals and plans and be disciplined enough to stick to them. Do not delay or cram at the last minute because that will only stir up stress and pressure in your workplace. It's better to do things one at a time, slowly but surely, than packing everything into a day or an hour. Again, you will only end up burned out and stressed. After carrying out all the actions towards achieving what you have set, give yourself some time to reflect on the performance or effort you've given. Ask yourself questions like "How satisfied am I with my effort? How else could I have done it if the situation was different, or the conditions changed? What is within my control? What is not within my control?"

Motivate constantly: Adopting the right mindset and attitude towards stress ensures a rewarding experience. To reiterate, stress is a neutral condition and is totally dependent on how we view it. Less time, more work may appear challenging, however with some people; it is considered the high time for creative juices to work and for adrenalin to push one's capabilities beyond the limits. Try your best to refrain from worrying or "stressing yourself" for it only uses your engine's fuel for nothing.

Balancing work and life is to have the right to enjoy your life while you are learning and living. When you are happy at home, you will then be happy at work! Think about how scary life can get when you wakeup from a bad dream.

Life's beyond just work. Always remind yourself you owed the right to feel good, to be strong, to work smart and to be in control, to be yourself and not somebody else.

- Published on Jan '09 Mice Asia. net