This is part 1 of a 2 part series. After you’ve read this, be sure to check out part 2, The forest versus the trees, round 2

One of the greatest threats to attaining and maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a lack of control. I don’t mean having your day 100% scheduled and rigid, though that may work for some, but rather the ability to see what you have to be doing and find a way to get it done in a balanced manner. Frequently, this lack of control can be attributed to or caused by an inability to see the big picture. I don’t mean a complete lack of the facility to see the big picture, but more of a situation where this perspective may be absent. The difference? The first can take some serious training to rectify, whereas the second can be solved with a few easier tips.


First, you may be thinking that you’ve got everything under control but are still having problems with balanced. Let’s take a look at a few signs that may indicate otherwise. Have you been getting that nagging tingle in the back of your head that you’re forgetting something? Or have you noticed an increase in the chaos surrounding certain aspects of your life? Has your usually clean desk become the latest venue for the World Gathering of Random Papers? These could be signs that you’re losing or have lost control of the situation.

So what causes this? In some cases it’s as simple as an unexpected change of something, whether that be new projects or responsibilities at work, a sudden change of plans, or a change in your environment, like a promotion (or loss) of a job or moving from one house to another. Even more insidious, some of these changes may be small and incremental, causing your control to be like the frog being boiled alive because he didn’t noticed the water getting warmer. These can slowly accumulate, until you’re suddenly looking at an environment or situation that seems completely foreign, without you really knowing how it came about.

Another large cause can be a lack of knowledge. Whether you don’t know what needs to be done, where you have to be, or not knowing what’s missing, this lack of knowledge can remove your control of the situation, and place it in the hands of external factors.

All of these things can conspire to cause a real or perceived lack of control. This lack makes maintaining a balance not only more important, but extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible. Check back Friday for part 2 of this series, where we’ll cover not only some ways to regain control once lost, but to prevent the loss in the first place.