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Rather than going cold turkey, wean yourself
off the reliance of your devices by setting certain
timeframes when you will not access the technology.
Set an out of office notice so that people understand
that you will reconnect in a few hours.
Communication is key to deliberate work-life balance.
Find Support
Another strategy for successfully executing your work-life plan is to enlist the
help of others. If extra time is required at work to complete a big project,
consider hiring a housekeeper or somebody to run errands for you. This
way, your time at home is spent connecting with your family and not
catching up on chores. Can’t afford that? Consider setting up a co-op
with friends and take turns assisting one another in accomplishing these
tasks.
Finally, make sure you and your family have a shared vision. If your spouse
is working extra hours to save for a house, the strain on family time might
be understandable for a while. Losing precious time with family in order to
buy
a plasma TV may cause resentment.
a pl sm TV may c use re ntment.
Section 18 – Planning For Your Future
Manage your Technology
One of the greatest interferences away from work is actually the
technology that keeps you connected to work. Reading your emails over
dinner or taking conference calls at your daughter’s dance recital
sabotages the quality time you have set aside for your family. One
executive that was interviewed stated, “Always being plugged in can
erode performance. Certain cognitive processes happen when you step
away from the frenetic responding to e-mails.” Another executive
suggested that expecting 24/7 availability could actually inhibit
productivity in an organization, “If you have weak people who must ask
your advice all the time, you feel important. But there is a difference
between being truly important and just not letting anyone around you do
anything without you.”
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