Balancing Work and Life

by Bill Butterworth; Water Brook Press, 2006

BOOK FOR THE WEEK: This is a book that shares with readers the secrets to balancing excellence in work with fulfillment in personal life. Its funny, yet no-nonsense approach to the subject of work-life balance, as well as management and corporate relations, and provides readers the kind of insights and answers that will help bring back order in their sometimes hectic lives. The blend of humor and storytelling make this a warm and enjoyable read; but more importantly, the powerful, riveting message imparted by this book will remind readers of what is truly important in life, and change the way they view their lives at work and beyond. This book is a must read for those who constantly struggle with balance in their lives.
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INSIDE THIS SUMMARY:

The Big Idea Learning about Balance from the Track Team Living a Balanced Life The Causes of Life's Imbalance The Hazies The Lazies The Crazies

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Learning about Balance from the Track Team

Life is like a race. It's a clich, but it's true nonetheless. The only question is what kind of race are you running in life? To help you determine which it is, consider the following two kinds of races: a.) Marathons. These are the long races, the ones that demand the most out of runners. Long distance runners are renowned for their endurance and total commitment to the task; not for their speed. b.) Sprints. Short races are known as sprints, and those that run this type of race are known for their speed and quickness. Their race is over in matter of seconds, minutes at the most. People who live life in the fast lane are running life's race at a sprint. You will find them in many of America's corporations. These people usually work very long hours, often in disregard of their health and their relationships with their families and other people. They may get to the top faster than most people, but they may not enjoy the fruits of their labor for a long time. On the other hand, there are people who run life's race at a pace. These are the people who live life as if it was a marathon. Their lifestyles epitomize endurance and commitment. They may not reach the peak that quickly, but they are more likely to enjoy their success longer than the sprinters. The problem is that most Americans want to have it both ways. They run life's marathon at a sprint-

like speed. This simply cannot be done. It is one thing to run a sprint; it is quite another matter to run a marathon.

Living a Balanced Life

Balancing your career and your personal life is just like any other endeavor. You got to work on it. It is not going to happen if you do not make it happen. Do not think of balance as a tug of war between two issues. To achieve greater balance in life, you need to understand and live your priorities in your everyday life. You also need to stay organized; to pace yourself; to stay connected to people; and to make time for learning, fun, and reflection. You may find it hard to believe, but it is possible to have a successful career and a rich personal life. It may not be easy, but it is possible.

The Causes of Life's Imbalance

You are suffering from a severe case of imbalance if: your family feels neglected because you spend more time at work than at home; your work is becoming more frantic with each passing day; you can't seem to find enough time to accomplish everything that you need to do; and, you feel trapped and powerless to make the needed changes to put order and peace back to your life. Most cases of imbalance are a result of the hazies or losing sight of your long term goals; the lazies or lacking the self discipline to balance your life; and the cazies or allowing life to get out of control. Each of these problems can be overcome using the three clarifying triangles the Priorities Triangle, the Endurance Triangle, and the Pacing Triangle.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Author: Bill Butterworth Publisher: Water Brook Press Date of Publication: 2006 ISBN : 1578569648 No. of Pages: 105 pages

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These clarifying triangles will help clarify your priorities; teach you the discipline of endurance; and help you reach the finish line through skillful pacing. Moreover, they will inspire and guide you towards balancing excellence at work with fulfillment in all areas of life. The Hazies People who suffer from the hazies have lost sight of their long-term goals in life. Their vision is clouded. People who suffer from the hazies know what they are supposed to do. They also know their priorities and goals in life; they just have a problem focusing on them. What these people need to do is to clarify their goals, and work on the distractions and dysfunctions that divert their attention and energies. They don't need books or people to tell them what their priorities are. What they need is focus, and help in living their priorities. Not all distractions are bad. Nonetheless, if you always let yourself get distracted, you will eventually lose sight of your goals. Hence, it is imperative for people suffering from the hazies to really focus, and develop the self-discipline needed to keep them on track.

Connection. This speaks about the relationships that you form in business or in life. Reflection. This relates to your time for quiet introspection.
The key to making the Priorities Triangle work is to determine where your natural inclination lies. If you are more task-oriented, then you are more focused on the Attention aspect of the triangle. You are the type of person who will do whatever is necessary to get the job done. On the other hand, if you are more relationship-oriented, then you are more focused on the Connection aspect of the triangle. You use your social skills to inspire those around you to do their fair share in completing the task. Both approaches get the job done; however, neither one, on its own, is better than the other. You need to strike a balance between Attention and Connection. This is where Reflection comes in. Spending some quiet time meditating about your life will enable you to come up with a plan that will allow you to capitalize on your strengths, and improve on your weakness. Keeping a journal will greatly help in this task. A journal allows you to record everything that happens in your life, including your thoughts and feelings about them. This way, you can ponder on these events later on and see, from a more objective stance, whether or not your actions have brought you closer to your goals. By spending time reflecting on these things, you will be able to manage the distractions in your life, and ascertain if you are doing the things that are really important to you. The Lazies People suffering from the lazies lack the selfdiscipline needed to bring their lives back into balance. They typically blame others or life in general for the imbalance in their lives. What they don't realize is that change will only come about if they take responsibility for their lives, and make the necessary sacrifices to bring back balance in their lives. People afflicted with the lazies are normally found in the corporate world. These people work long hours just to maintain their presence in the

The Priorities Triangle The Priorities Triangle

ATTENTION CONNECTION

REFLECTION

The Priorities Triangle emphasizes the importance of focusing on your goals, despite the presence of distractions. The three areas of the Priorities Triangle are: Attention. This refers to the tasks that you attempt in business or in life.

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company, while ignoring the strain it creates on their personal lives. This is most true among American career women. Although they are aware of their problems, lazies are often reluctant to make the fundamental changes to fix their lives. Rather, they shift the blame and make others responsible for what is happening to their lives. The Endurance Triangle

important is that you are doing something positive to change things in your life. Nevertheless, it is also very important that you do not rush things. Think things through and make plans that are attainable and workable. The Crazies The epidemic known as the crazies happens when people lose control of their lives. Often, people struggling against the crazies are in a frantic state on any given day. This happens because they agree to do whatever it takes to get the job done. They may go to sleep feeling successful, but deep inside they have this gnawing feeling that something is missing in their lives. Cases of the crazies are not limited to the corporate world. It can affect everybody, no matter what they do in life. Some of the common imbalances in the life of a person besieged with the crazies are: all job, no home; all kids, no spouse;

The Endurance Triangle

FORECAST FOCUS

FUN

The Endurance Triangle is the antidote to the lazies. Its three areas are: Forecast. Planning your day and setting clear short-term goals. Focus. Acting appropriately on the plans that you have made. Fun. Spending some quality time with your family relaxing and having fun. If you find yourself infected with the lazies, you need to understand and realize that life is not necessarily about having it all right now. You are more than your career. Be patient and reduce significantly the pressures in your life. There will be times when things won't go according to your plans. Don't be discouraged. Instead, learn to endure these setbacks and come up with an alternative. There are many solutions out there; you just need to apply some creativity in searching for the right answer to your troubles. Besides, family members will be more than willing to accommodate, as long as you keep your promise to spend that needed quality time with them. Creating balance in your work and family life is difficult. It may be hard at first, but the more you work on it, the more it will succeed. What's

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Bill Butterworths extraordinary ability to blend humor, story-telling, wisdom and practicality has made him one of the most sought after speakers in venues throughout North America. Through his wit, warmth, insight, and realism, he brings help and hope to his audiences everywhere. Bill taught at the college level for thirteen years and was a counselor for six years prior to his current passion for motivating men and women in the workplace. Because of his remarkable abilities, Bill was awarded The Hal Holbrook Award by the International Platform Association, whose past and present members include Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, Bob Hope, and Elizabeth Dole. They consider him one of the select few to be named a Top Rated Speaker. In the writing world, Bills latest contribution is a series of business books with the overall title On The Fly. The first two books are called On The Fly Guide to Balancing Work and Life and On The Fly Guide to Building Successful Teams. They are being published by WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House. Besides the On The Fly series, Bill has written over a dozen books including The Promise of the Second Wind and When Life Doesnt Turn Out Like You Planned. To k n o w m o r e a b o u t t h e http://www.billbutterworth.com/ a u t h o r, go to:

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 all work, no play; and, all others, no self.

The Pacing Triangle

enjoy life upon their retirement. You don't have to live your life like this. The trick to leading a more balanced life is to learn how to constantly move through each of these three areas. For example, you could teach your children the value of work by encouraging them to work part-time after school. In so doing, they will learn to embrace work the way they do learning and leisure at an early age. Likewise, for those who are already working, include some form of leisure in your work. Working can be fun if you make it so; just don't forget to have fun outside of work as well. You could also go back to school and take a class for personal enrichment, or read a book just for the fun of it; although enrolling in a class that will advance your career is not bad either. The point here is, there is nothing wrong with combining leisure and learning in a way that helps you on your job. Not only will it make you a more effective and productive worker, it will also make your job more worthwhile. Conversely, for those who have already retired, a state of permanent stagnancy is never desirable. Retirement is great; however, spending your retirement days doing nothing is not. Remember, life-long learning, life-long labor, and life-long leisure. It's a proven strategy for a successful and balanced life. Make it yours.

The Pacing Triangle

LEARNING LABOR

LEISURE

To beat the crazies, you must pursue and practice pacing in your life. Just as a long-distance runner paces himself, so should you. Remember, life is more like a marathon than a sprint. If you run too fast early in the race, you will only end up burning yourself out even before the race is over. Master and apply the principles of the Pacing Triangle in your life. That is the key to achieving a successful and balanced life. The three areas of the Pacing Triangle are: Learning. This refers to the area of education. Labor. This refers to the area of work. Leisure. This refers to the area of fun and recreation. People go through each of these three areas in stages. To give you an idea, children, as soon as they are able, start attending schools to learn and be educated. They go to school so they can get a good job in the future. Once they grow up and finish with school, they then start making a living. During this time, many will spend countless hours working with little time for fun and recreation. Moreover, most of them will only begin to really

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