Get Your Priorities Straight

Only you can create or restore equilibrium to your lifestyle. Here's how to put your work life and your personal life into perspective.

Dana Abramson had owned her business for 11 years before she played hooky to spend time with her nephews during their spring break earlier this year. "I enjoyed those two days with the boys so much that I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner," says the owner of Achieve Results Corp. and Corbi Systems, both in Fairport, N.Y.

But Abramson did know why she hadn't taken the time off before: her priorities. "You can say you have multiple priorities, but you can only have one and from the perspective of allocating time, mine has been the business," she says. In spite of occasional regrets, Abramson says that her schedule works for her family. "This is what's normal for us," she says.

What works for each individual is what matters most, says Cali Williams Yost, author of Work + Life: Finding the Fit That's Right for You. Yost argues that "work/life balance," the phrase typically used to describe how we manage our work and personal time, is a misnomer. She says the 50/50 split required for true balance is not realistic for most.

"Why do we continue to use a term that makes us feel like we miss the mark?" she says. "A work/life solution might mean working differently, not any more or any less. Different might mean when, where and how you work." It's a matter of what's appropriate for both your work and personal realities, she says.

Find the Right Fit
To establish your ideal work/life balance, whether you've owned a business for 10 months or 10 years, assess both your work and personal realities and compare them. Then, make any necessary adjustments.

Work Realities. These include when you need to be in the office to supervise employees, accept deliveries or to attend meetings. It also includes those aspects of your job that can be done from other locations or in different situations—in the waiting room while taking an elderly parent to a doctor's appointment or during halftime of your daughter's soccer game, for example.

Personal Realities. These include things in your personal life that you consider important, such as being home when the kids arrive from school, your desire to give back to the community or your interest in coaching the Little League team.

Once you establish these "non-negotiables," write them down in separate columns. If two events conflict, see if one can be moved to accommodate the other. You'd be surprised at how much control you have over your daily schedule if you plan ahead and organize.

Be Flexible
Like most things in life, schedules change. Don't be discouraged. Holly Rodgers, co-owner of Chicago-based Stuart-Rodgers Photography, had to make rapid adjustments to her work/life balance when her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and she suddenly needed to be home with him after school to monitor his diet. "I can be flexible with my work schedule, and that's important to me," says Rodgers, who stays in touch with her office by phone and computer.

Beyond unexpected changes, there are expected changes as well. During the summer, when kids typically are home from school, it may be necessary to revisit your checklist and make temporary adjustments to your schedule.

"Stop thinking in the extreme terms of work and life—like you're either working or you're not," Yost says. "There's a whole lot of in between, and small adjustments can make a big difference."

Now that you've learned how to put your own life in perspective, there are several ways you can help your employees achieve a greater work/life balance. Find out how some larger companies successfully improve overall employee satisfaction … Next >>