From my work experience of 37 years as an Executive, I shall say that Working Smartly,Delegation of Duties, Belief in and practice of Team-work,Proper Time-Management in Work-life, and Love-intimacy-mutual trust with your Life-partner and mutual support for each other's interests and ambitions are some of the requisites and tools to successfully balance one's work-life with Relationships.
It should not be difficult for a man with clear perceptions of life to balance between the demands of careers and relations. Our jobs at offces also involve meeting various people, colleagues etc. If we do not have good relations at home, we cannot develop the same outside.
In case there is conflict between emergent deadlines at office and the presence at home, the latter should get priority as many homes have broken due to more importance accorded to the office deadlines.
First of all one should remember that one's career is a part of once personal life.
I would rather not consider my job as a career. A career is the trajectory of one's job profiles. As one moves from one position to another, the stream of positions constitute the career of the person. Now, you can see that positions come in their due time, so it is not very helpful to focus on having a career. What is important is that one should concentrate on the present job, present hour and the present moment. The trick is to do your job as mechanically as you can, and never worry about the next moment, next hour, next day and the next job. By controlling one's excitement and expectations while doing one's job, one can go home fresh and have the energy to engage in quality interaction with the family members.
RE:Don't juggle your personal life and career.
by vaithialingam sivakumar on Aug 04, 2008 11:45 AM Permalink
I really appreciate your suggestions and hereafter i will consider my career as just a part of life,broadening my horizons to my wife,children.But if you reach at the age of 40 ,you will have inner fear of settling in the life to feed your family and normally you will avoid risks of changing jobs unless you plan well ahead finacially for your dependents. Normally after 40 ,getting job is difficult nowadays as there is lot of competition from youngsters. Rediff should analyse the present scenario of career opportunities for the professionals like me if i wants to live without worry of meeting the deadlines of the present job and live like a new born baby. In this world only child and saints are two kinds of people having no worries.
balancing between career and relationship will depend upon whether both husband and wife are working or husband alone is office goer. If both the partners are office goers, it is rather difficult to balance it. In the case where both the partners are going for work, after the days toiling in the office, they come home tired and depressed and both of them will get irritated on small matters. Husband cannot blame his wife and wife also cannot blame her husband. Before we analyse their life we have to look at the life of a couple where husband alone is the bread winner. No two families life will be the same where both the partners go for work daily. It will differ from family to family and no rigid rules can be prescribed for balancing the relationship and the career. My assumption is that since both are office goers, they must be educated to a certain high level where they are mature enough to understand each other. As long as there exists good understanding between the couple, there is no problem which cannot be solved by mutual discussion. A policy of give and take will work splendidly well. After all the husband and wife must realise that both of them are toiling only to their mutual benefit and for a rich life of their children.
There is no magic rule to keep balance between work and life. But based on my experience, below is what i follow and i am very successful
1) Know your role and responsibilities in job.
On the name of growth, aspirations, opportunities, etc today's young generations stretch beyond their limits in hope of doing "great" against others or feeling achievments. Sometime it is good, but if it continues it becomes an habit and your boss will take you for granted. Result? More wokr and more responsibilities leading to more time at work and less at home.
So, try to understand your current job responsibilies and growth opportunities and plan as much you can. Talk to your boss and set deadline for time you are going to spent in office and at home. There may be expections like major client issues or critical project deliveries (which is fine). But 80% you should follow "normal" work time. If it goes beyond, treat as an alert.
2) Understand your role and responsiibilities at your home / family and relatives
Your dependents need you and their life may affect just because you are not available. Example: I have seen huge difference between standard of living between parents and their son. Personal choice on other side, non-availability of son is najor reason why old generation are behind. Son should give enough time for dependents in growing them and making them understand how things are moving. Example: Today's generation feels ashamed bringing their parents in company'
Re: Re: Know your limits and plan better
by Rupsha on Oct 13, 2008 02:21 PM Permalink
I totally agree with your views. Plan your activities for the day and go ahead with work. I am myself an working lady, and I can say that 80% of my working days, I am able to follow a regular schedule of 8-9 hours of work, only 20 % is for critical project deliverables or client issues or meetings. One point I would like to put forward is that during these 8-9 hours of work, I WORK. You will not see me idling away or gossiping etc
