print
this page | A note
from your Editor: Life balance during the holidays. Is it possible?
Wendy Diaz, P.Geo. - Field Notes Editor 
It wasn't my intention to write this article at the car dealership
today but life has a way of keeping you on your toes by making you
constantly adjust to events. Just when I thought I had enough to do
this holiday season with piano recitals, boy scout projects, dentist
appointments, school pot lucks, homework surveillance, toys for tots,
proofing university application essays for my daughter and a neighborhood
board meeting (to say nothing of the other Christmas traditions of
food and gift shopping) another thing was added to the list. The LOW
COOLANT LEVEL warning came on the dashboard of the family van. It
made me realize how much we all depend on our cars in the suburbs
to get the multitude of "things" we have to do, done. Without a car,
things really slow down. Which brings me to the theme of this month's
newsletter.balancing work and home life so we can enjoy the holiday
season. The solution? Slow down, adjust to the conflict, scrap your
well-intentioned plans and hope that the next day will prove to be
more productive. I really don't know anyone who truly accomplishes this balancing act or happy medium. I think people just adjust and take one day at a time. To avoid feeling overwhelmed when there is an unscheduled business meeting at the office just when you were thinking of sneaking out to get home by 6:00, one must adjust and rely on the fact that the next day you will hopefully be able to get home on time. Sometimes we have to learn to say no to requests for our time and learn to make more realistic deadlines. Sometimes we learn to delegate more and share the workload with our colleagues in the event that they can return the favour sometime soon. We skip lunch. Sometimes our most productive period of the day is at home when everyone is asleep in bed. When we blur the lines between work and home we have to be disciplined and learn to set priorities. In affect, we learn and change the way we work not how much we work. During this holiday season we have to resist the pressure and set our priorities by making time for our families, if we are lucky enough to have one. For the workaholics out there, the mandatory days off this season give us a chance to remove ourselves and our thoughts from the workplace and force us to reconnect with family and friends; for we are the happiest when we have positive personal interactions and relationships. I think we all like to be busy, to have a purpose and enjoy our jobs, in fact we are trained in our formal education to accomplish as much as we can in the time we have and, with technology today we are doing even more in more places than ever. But the challenge is to know when to draw the line so we are not negatively affecting our personal life. So instead of rushing off to do an errand or write the next proposal maybe have lunch with your spouse or friend instead. I was going to ask for submissions for the newsletter from you all but the last thing you need this season is another request of your time from your professional association's newsletter editor! So I will wait until next year. Let your newsletter keep you informed so you can spend the time with your family that you would otherwise spend searching for information. To do this we need your feedback on topics. If you do not have time to write an article, how about sending me a suggestion. Mike, the service manager, has just dropped by the waiting room with his assessment of the van. The water pump is leaking and they should be able to fix it before 2:00 pm. This is good news because it will allow me to email this in before I pick up the boys at carpool! Season greetings and do not work too hard! |
For
more information on APGO, please contact info@apgo.net
|