Ready to set a better work-life balance? Here’s how to stay on track…
By Karen Amos
What is it about September? I get more of a giddy feeling and those ‘new start’ vibes than I do at the new year.
I guess it’s just the programming I experienced in my early years of starting back at school – new teacher, new clean text books to cover in really bad wallpaper… (Showing my age now!) and best of all, a new pencil case and stationery! (That’s still a biggie for me!)
The thing is, whether we’re working in education or not, this is a very popular time to make a ‘new start’. The gym I attend is busier in September and October, everyone’s had a great summer holiday and people are ready to finally take control of that ever-elusive work life balance. Then reality kicks in, other people’s stuff becomes your stuff, the nights draw in, carb-rich food beckons and before we know it, we’re right back in our old, unhelpful habits.
So how to stop that slide?
I don’t believe it’s inevitable, but I’m not going to pretend it’s easy to do.
One key factor is being conscious of what’s going on. I wrote a blog post a while ago about boiling frog syndrome and that’s definitely one of the problems. (Click HERE if you’d like to find out more…)
Basically, boiling frog syndrome says if a frog is dropped in a pan of boiling water, (Yeah, I know, but don’t shoot the messenger, I didn’t invent the concept!) it will immediately recognise it’s too hot and jump out. But if we place the frog gently into luke-warm water and gradually warm it up, it will stay in the pan and boil to death, as it doesn’t recognise the water is too hot until it’s too late.
We too are that boiling frog. We fail to recognise when things are going awry until they’re having a detrimental impact on our time and wellbeing.
You know how it goes. You’re determined not to work every evening and weekend this time and you’ll definitely stick to your new healthy eating regime. But just one piece of work for a deadline on one Sunday evening, quickly becomes every evening and before you know it, you’re grabbing a handful of biscuits on the fly because you were too tired to make your healthy pack-up on a morning.
The solution? – Little Flags!
This is why I like to introduce my ‘little flags’ to clients. These flags are mini advance warning systems we can set in place when things are going well – i.e. right at the beginning of implementing our new habits. This means we’re in a good position to think clearly about the situation, without being overly influenced by outside influences and unforeseen circumstances.
Here are a few coaching questions to help you set out good habits and flags, ready for your new start:
- What is it that I would like to change?
- How will I know when I have succeeded? (What will be happening/ what will I be doing/hearing/seeing/feeling?)
- What are the ‘flags’ that will tell me I’m going off track? What will these be telling me?
- What action can I take to remove these now?
- What action will I take if one of my flags pops up to get back on track quickly?
I have a couple more blogs about Creating the Conditions to Succeed (HERE) and How to Prevent Good Habits Turning Bad (HERE), for more coaching questions to help you on your way.
If you would like support with your Time Management, Work-Life Balance or general wellbeing at work, call us on 07714 855757, or email info@bright-bird.co.uk
Find out about our training courses and coaching using the links below:
Or why not EMAIL US, or book in an informal chat using the button below. We’ll find out about the support you need and provide you with a no-obligation quote.
Karen Amos is an executive coach and founder of BrightBird Coaching & Training. She supports business owners and managers who are feeling the pressure, to get the best out of themselves and their teams. She brings a practical, down-to-earth approach to improving working lives through better leadership, communication and working relationships.
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