• Home
  • Coaching
    • Executive Coaching
    • Personal Development / Life Coaching
    • Team Coaching
    • Communication Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Coaches
  • Testimonials
  • Self-help Books
  • Blog
  • Contact / FAQ's
The Coaching Group of Switzerland
  • Home
  • Coaching
    • Executive Coaching
    • Personal Development / Life Coaching
    • Team Coaching
    • Communication Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Coaches
  • Testimonials
  • Self-help Books
  • Blog
  • Contact / FAQ's

Coaching Blog
The Coaching Group Of Switzerland

WORK-LIFE BALANCE IS A MYTH: 3 WAYS TO ACHIEVE WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION INSTEAD

16/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D., Bioethicist and writer
From early on — usually before we’ve even started our careers — we’re told about a magical thing called “work-life balance.” Essentially, this myth amounts to the idea that if we do everything right, we will somehow be able to achieve the elusive equilibrium of having a fulfilling and meaningful career, while keeping up an active social life, and being the ideal partner and family member. In reality, though, this perfect “balance” is nearly impossible to achieve.

That’s why at Thrive, we’re all about what our CEO and founder Arianna Huffington calls “work-life integration” — an approach focused on preserving your health and well-being and recognizing that there is no secret formula to “having it all.” In fact, the pressure we put on ourselves, and the stress that results from when we’re feeling as though we’re falling short in one or more aspects of our lives, can be a cause of burnout — precisely the thing that work-life “balance” is supposedly designed to avoid. Here are three small steps to help you aim for your own version of work-life integration: 

Start small
Sometimes it takes hitting a breaking point for us to finally realize that we’re approaching (or have reached) burnout, and need to look closely at how we’re spending our time and energy. Ideally, it wouldn’t get to that point, but if it does, it’s tempting to try and implement some major lifestyle changes to get yourself on the right track. The problem is, those are usually too much, too quickly, and that version of integration will almost inevitably be unsustainable. 

Instead, opt for what Thrive calls Microsteps — too-small-to-fail, science-backed strategies for real behavior change. These can include declaring an end to your day — even if you haven’t finished everything on your to-do list — in order to make space for your life outside of work, and integrate the two together. Each Microstep is a way of reclaiming your life and coming closer to achieving true work-life integration.

Assess how you’re spending your time
As it turns out, there’s ancient wisdom that can assist us with understanding this modern problem: the Greek philosophy of first principles, which encourages breaking a problem down to its fundamental parts. If you’re not sure where to start in your quest for work-life integration, Aristotle might suggest taking a closer look at the different aspects of your life and determining the foundation of any problematic parts. 

​Ask yourself if you’re spending your time the way you want to.
​
If, after some examination, you realize that you’re devoting large amounts of your time to tasks or activities that you don’t consider to be particularly valuable, take a different approach. And no, this doesn’t mean doing a complete overhaul of your life; this is where Microsteps come in. Even the simple act of committing to a Microstep can help you feel like you’re making progress towards a healthier life. 

Set boundaries — especially with technology 
Ultimately, setting clear boundaries is the key to work-life integration. Knowing when to move between work-mode and family-mode or social-mode is an indicator that you have control over your own time. Given that so much work today — especially after traditional “working hours” — is done on devices, establishing boundaries with technology that work for you is particularly important, and a good place to start.
​
As Arianna Huffington has written, it’s not about giving up our devices, but rather acknowledging that “technology has accelerated our lives beyond our capacity to keep up.” We need to think of technology as a tool to help us, rather than something controlling us. This can mean everything from insisting upon device-free meetings (to expedite them and improve productivity) or meals (to ensure focused time with your friends and loved ones), scheduling specific times each day you check and respond to email, or making it a point not to check your device when you first wake up. Establishing these boundaries and disconnecting — to a reasonable extent — with technology can help us reconnect with ourselves and each other, Huffington says.

​Reframe how you are thinking about
the way you are spending your time and energy, 
​and aim for work-life integration.
​

Contact one of our coaches in switzerland to schedule a free introductory session

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    ​Self-Help Book / Personal Development
    by Suzie Doscher

    Picture
    Buy your book at Amazon
    BALANCE offers you support  in life's difficult moments. 
    This book is about change and finding balance in life.

    Available in Paperback, Audiobook, Kindle at Amazon stores or Audiobook at Audible or iTunes
    Audible

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Business Coach In Lausanne
    Business Coach Zurich
    Coaching In Lausanne
    Coaching In Zurich
    Coaching Switzerlandd
    Covid 19
    Covid- 19
    Davide Costella
    Effectiveness
    Emotional Intelligence
    Empowerment
    Executive Coaching In Zurich
    Happiness
    Joy
    Leadership
    Life Coaching
    Life Coach Zurich
    Mindfulness
    Motivation
    Networking
    New Years Resolutions 2019
    Other
    Pandemic
    Staying Focused
    Susan Begeman Steiner
    Suzie Doscher
    Team Coaching
    Virtual Coaching

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013

Contact Information
​ The Coaching Group of Switzerland - General Enquiry


Suzie Doscher
Executive Coach / Life Coaching
​Personal Development

suzie@coachgroupofch.ch
​Phone: + 41 443 59 54
www.suziedoscher.com

Susan Begeman Steiner
Executive Coach, Business Coach
​Team Coaching / Facilitation

susan@coachgroupofch.ch
​Phone: + 41 586 89 16
www.sbsteinercoaching.com

Davide Costella
​Communication Coaching
​NLP Coach

davide@coachgroupofch.ch
​Phone: +41 76 358 37 28
 
www.davidecostella.com
  • Home
  • Coaching
    • Executive Coaching
    • Personal Development / Life Coaching
    • Team Coaching
    • Communication Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Coaches
  • Testimonials
  • Self-help Books
  • Blog
  • Contact / FAQ's