Work life Balance
I wrote this for new supervisors when I was a working manager. However it definitely also applies to pastors & ministry leaders. Ideally a reasonable work life balance should be modeled by all leaders.
Work life balance will be a constant challenge for those in leadership and management, and sometimes for many other positions too. It will be up to you to learn how to balance your life and protect you mental, physical, & relationships health.
The Competition most company’s face for talent, innovative ideas, efficiency improvements, and skill, will suck up all your effort. It’s not abusive or sinister, but it is constant and that’s just the way it is. I don’t believe we will ever see slack time in most work environments again. So understanding this dynamic lifestyle is helpful in achieving a rewarding & satisfying work experience.
You will need to be really interested in what ever job you do and that includes the ones you aspire to. A good job fit is necessary to be able to keep up the required pace and to get satisfaction out of your effort.
If you want to be a Leader, Supervisor or Manager, your work must become one of your hobbies. Success in these positions will require the equivalent extra time and enthusiasm. For sure it shouldn’t be your only hobby, but we are talking about a 50 hr work week being typical here.
What has worked best for me (depending a little bit on the job I was in at the time) is to get most of my work done in the 4 long days. I then use Friday as the swing day to catch up working either a full day, part of a day, or take the whole day off depending on the circumstances.
Regardless of the circumstances of your job, it is a good practice to take a rest on the 7th day. You must give your mind and body some rest if you want to be effective. Think about this, if you are so necessary in your job that you can’t take one day off out of seven, than one of these things is likely true. You haven’t trained someone to fill in for you, you don’t trust anyone to fill in for you, or you’re greedy. In any case you will never achieve anything resembling work life balance if you can’t or won’t develop a replacement.
Take all of your vacation; you need small sabbaticals to disconnect from work. A time for refreshing and to reconnect with your family and the world. Make it a special time for your loved ones. Your family needs to see the benefit of your job vs. the cost to them.
Taking your vacation is critical for visionary leadership and thinking outside the box. Many times I have returned to work with a fresh perspective and a cool idea I discovered on vacation.
