When work is tough, sometimes all we can do is grit our teeth and bear it out, working towards the light at the end of the tunnel (in the general metaphor way, I’m not saying we’re gritting out teeth and waiting for death). This light might be the end of a meeting, the end of a project, or a change in your job category, or even your employer. The thing is, always looking towards the future, especially the far future, can have a seriously negative effect on your balance now. If you keep thinking “I just need to get through this meeting/project/week/year/job, then things will be better,” you’re setting yourself up for never being able to enjoy the present.

So what’s the answer? Find something a little closer to look forward to. This is where things like, friends, family and hobbies don’t just become part of your work-life balance, but become a key to maintaining it.

Having a life outside of work gives you alternate inputs and outputs for your energy. You can look at it like this. If your sole focus in life is your work, and work is tough, then you’re putting all of your energy into something that gives nothing positive back. Basically, you’re working hard to feel bad. Work harder, and if nothing else changes, you’re just working harder to feel worse!

But if you have an alternative, then you’re not dependent on one thing and one thing only for your enjoyment. If you’ve had a rough day at work, but you’re getting together with an old friend for dinner, then you can gain some enjoyment out of that, which can help restore some balance. Or you can head home to your family and find enjoyment there.

I know this kind of sounds like I’m saying having balance can help you have balance, but I’m trying to get at something a little different. Frequently, for people trying to improve balance they focus on what they can do in their work life to make improvements. However, finding other outlets and sources of enjoyment in the rest of your life gives you more opportunities for feeling good about what you’re doing, so we all need to remember to focus on the “life” part of balance to improve the overall picture as well.

In addition to all of this, there is the simple fact that having something to look forward to can give you that extra energy boost to get through the day, or finish that project, or get through whatever other barriers may be facing you. Giving yourself something to look forward to other than just more of the same can give you this motivation.

So next time you’re having a tough time at work, or finding that the balance is out of whack, ask yourself if you can do anything outside of work to help out as well. It’s not always about lessening the bad, but increasing the good.

Cheers,

Adam