The Balance

While in college, every student aspires to finish school and get a job to attain good money. However, after graduating and getting a job, there is the sad realization that even though income is steady and favorable, there is limited time to enjoy the cash. Many individuals are faced with the predicament of balancing their lives and jobs in a manner that would result in complete contentment. For instance, studies show that around ninety-four percent of individuals work more than fifty hours per week, from morning to evening, making it hard to have personal spare time (Lee, 2014). Additionally, research conveys that people still tend to engage in professional staff after working hours like checking emails (Shanafelt et al., 2915). Such situations reduce the quality of life by making it all about work. There is an imperative need to balance work and personal life in order to make life more enjoyable. Various activities should be conducted after landing a full-time job after college to attain the needed balance like being goal-oriented, having a social life, and ascertaining all facets of life are effectively catered to, which would result in ineffectual time management.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#1b6081eb29ff

http://www.retirementfammed.com/uploads/1/0/2/7/10277276/changes_in_work_life_balance_physicians.pdf

The best way to find a work-life balance is to maximize any free time from work with productive and fun activities. To achieve such, it is important to the first plan and be disciplined to the set plan. In essence, utilizing free time like weekends and after work hours without a plan, just like the phrase goes, leads to failure (Starmer, Frintner, & Freed, 2016). After college, there is less going on in one’s life without a proactive approach. In many instances, people find themselves indoors at all free time maybe watching, which brews a failure with no social life. To avoid such, instigating a schedule that caters to all facets is paramount. For instance, plans to meet with friends and family should be made over the weekend. Additionally, incorporation of other activities like house chores, shopping, and other essentials should be incorporated in the daily routine. Personal activities like watching, the occasional visit to the spa, and other hobbies should be assimilated in one’s schedule.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27020792

Another way to balance work and personal life is capitalizing on technology (Fleck, Cox, & Robison, 2015). Currently, the internet has revolutionized the world and made every aspect of life easier. For instance, the internet is an effective way to meet friends and keep in touch with old ones through platforms like social media. Some of the time should be spent on the internet but not too much to ascertain that it does not breed negative impacts. Additionally, virtual working is also another merit presented by contemporary technology. If the type of employment one is it allows for working from home via the internet, the element can be used to free up more time. The extra time created can be utilized by cultivating a social life through activities like joining a book club, a hiking club, or any other organization of interest. Time should also be invested in bonding with coworkers, both at work and outside employment grounds. The process allows for the cultivation of productive relationships with colleagues, which makes work and life more satisfactory.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-019-09471-z

To ensure that time is effectively managed, there is the necessity to prioritize and set boundaries (Morris, 2019). That is, first, it is important to identify the most important things to engage in, and the duration each activity should be allocated. Boundaries should also be created to ascertain the elimination of overindulgence in one event, which affects a healthy balance (Karkoulian, Srour, & Sinan, 2016). For instance, work hours set should be adhered to. If the time for getting off work is five in the evening, an individual should make sure that they do so unless in an avoidable circumstance. Flexibility and scheduling in the workplace should be communicated with employers to avoid any complications.

In conclusion, after finishing college and attaining a full-time job, I plan on achieving a healthy work-life balance. Such is achieved by spending my time effectively and ascertaining that all activities I engage in result in an all-rounded life. In free times, personal hobbies will be assimilated in my schedules, such as going on adventures and finding time to interact with family and friends. The process would ensure that while earning money, I also get to have an enjoyable life.

 

 

References

Fleck, R., Cox, A. L., & Robison, R. A. (2015, April). Balancing Boundaries: Using Multiple Devices to Manage Work-Life Balance. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 3985-3988). ACM.

Karkoulian, S., Srour, J., & Sinan, T. (2016). A Gender Perspective on Work-Life Balance, Perceived Stress, and Locus of Control. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), 4918-4923.

Lee, J. D. (2014, October 20). “6 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance.” Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#1b6081eb29ff

Morris, L. V. (2019). The Conundrum of Work-Life Balance. Innovative Higher Education, 1-2. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-019-09471-z

Shanafelt, T. D., Hasan, O., Dyrbye, L. N., Sinsky, C., Satele, D., Sloan, J., & West, C. P. (2015, December). Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 90, No. 12, pp. 1600-1613). Elsevier. Retrieved from: http://www.retirementfammed.com/uploads/1/0/2/7/10277276/changes_in_work_life_balance_physicians.pdf

Starmer, A. J., Frintner, M. P., & Freed, G. L. (2016). Work–Life Balance, Burnout, and Satisfaction of Early Career Pediatricians. Pediatrics, 137(4), e20153183.