Outside, a fresh blanket of fluffy white snow lies glistening in the fading glow of dusk. Inside, the sounds of holiday cheer mingle with the mouth watering aromas of perfectly seasoned holiday cuisine. John’s phone pings. Suddenly, the anticipation of the awaited holiday feast begins to dissipate as he recalls the December 27th work deadline. After a hastily consumed dinner with his loved ones, John spends the remainder of the evening together with his laptop beneath the Christmas tree, Hanukkiah, or Kinara. The next day, the holiday is all but merry. Try as he might, John cannot focus. Friends, family, and his still-incomplete work assignment wage a battle over his heart and mind, with no side emerging a clear victor. The result is that the kids receive reconciliation gifts, empty assurances of a work free-holiday next year are made to his wife, and the assignment is turned in only half finished. John returns to his routine in the office, but not without uttering a few choice words about whomever had possessed the gall to invent holidays.
Sound familiar? The holiday season is but one facet of a dilemma faced by billions across the globe: the work-life balance. Though discussed extensively in contemporary literature, both academic and otherwise, more than sixty percent of Americans still struggle to balance between their personal life, and the incessant stream of work related responsibilities that have intruded into our homes and even our pockets. How do we ensure that our holiday season is more relaxing AND productive than John’s?
What Can Be Done?
Tips for developing a healthy balance abound the internet. We’ve gathered a collection of a few of those we found most helpful:
– Plan ahead! While John was given three weeks’ notice to fulfill the client’s order, he chose to keep the project on his back burner until the last minute. Planning ahead and finding a way to fit this into his already busy schedule would have given him the holiday night off.
– Designate time slots – It can happen that holiday work is unavoidable. Whether due to a sudden surge of orders, or a backlog that can’t be allowed to grow any further, John would have done well to set aside specific hours for his assignment, so as to free himself up for the rest of the day. If only he had thought of this – his family time would have seen him more present, and his wife and kids would enjoy their time with him in full.
– Take advantage of technology – If unplugging is rendered impractical due to your smartphone, consider installing apps that will block work related notifications when they are unhelpful. Had John noticed the project reminder only after he enjoyed his meal, the evening would have been merrier indeed.
Will These Work for Me?
The above suggestions are highly useful for some, yet near impossible to utilize for others. This is largely due to the differences in the way we think, interact, and otherwise operate. Perhaps John’s workload did not enable him to plan any better, his ADHD refused to allow him to neatly divide and conquer his tasks, and the pesky technology never made much sense to him anyway.
A one size fits all solution clearly does not exist, and so experts in our day recommend a more individualized approach to balance. What John failed to bring to his family’s holiday experience was himself, yet perhaps himself is exactly where he could have started. Whether through mindfulness, personalized productivity hacks, or even outside help – such as a life coach or a therapist – John can encounter a world of self discovery that can empower him to juggle the multiple elements in his life in a way that suits him best. Through exploration of different methodologies and how they relate to him, next year even John will crack a smile at the holiday table.
With the holiday season nearly upon us, we at Shepherd Search Group would like to wish happy holidays to all who celebrate, especially John.