I will be leading a workshop on the topic "Taking the Stress Out of Work/Life Balance" next weekend during the Women in Business full-day conference, honoring Women's History Month. The conference is Saturday, March 24 at the Hartford Hilton. For an agenda of all speakers and activities, as well fee and registration info, please go to the Events of Joy website. I hope to see you there!
Here's a synopsis of my program:
Does achieving work/life balance mean stress-free living?
Not necessarily. In today’s fast-paced, 24/7 world, the pursuit of work/life balance has become almost mythical. As work hours increase and we try to get more things done in less time and with fewer resources, we spend more time unsuccessfully trying to achieve balance and less time living it.
The statistics are sobering. According to the Families and Work Institute, work hours have increased for both women and men; jobs have become more demanding and hectic; and as the number of dual-earner couples have increased, so too have the family hours spent at paid jobs.
But what keeps most people from striking a balance is that they give up on what they really want; their perceptions of what work/life balance should be don’t match reality; therefore, they set unrealistic expectations about what life should be like; and when they don’t achieve it, they set themselves up for a perpetual cycle of self-defeat. The result? Stress, stress, and MORE STRESS!
In this workshop we’ll:
- Understand the realities of work/life challenges in today’s society
- Identify what’s stressing us out and keeping us off balance
- Apply the 4 P’s – passion, purpose, priorities, plan – to help de-stress our lives
- Differentiate between decision and choice and why it matters
- Set attainable goals that connect values with priorities
- Establish a personal operating plan that provides a roadmap for success
