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    You are here Home » leadership

    What You Need to Master Work/Life Balance

    Last updated on Sep 24, 2015 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest post by Jeremie Kubicek 

    You are a business owner. Your life is
    out-of-control, or that is how it feels at times. Some days you are connected
    with those you love and other days you feel so distant. Other days, you are so
    productive that you are amazed, while others you feel burned out because of
    over work.
     

    Does that sound familiar? That was my life for
    years. Driving hard, making things happening and trying to manage work/life
    balance.
     

    Get this. Work life balance is a farce. Others
    usually speak it to people, with the goal of getting them to work less and
    connect more. Again, that doesn’t work. And again, I know because I have both
    tried it and have been spoken to by these noble friends.
     

    Work life balance is primarily not about time.
    That is where most work life balance tools go wrong. They assume that if busy
    adults could simply manage their time then all will be well and everyone will
    enjoy them and vice versa.
     

    Business and life is actually more about mindset
    than time. For instance, I can schedule a lunch with my wife during the week
    because I want to feel good that I connected with her during the work day, but
    actually be very far away from her. My body may be at the lunch, but my mind
    might be very far away. The same can occur with time with kids or friends.
     

    How our mind goes, so goes our actions.
    Therefore, we have to master our minds in order to shift into the right gears
    at the right time. Time is not the issue, our mindset is.
     

    Here are the best ways to learn how to shift
    your mindset so that you can be both present and productive in a consistent
    way:

    1.
    Pick a marker that triggers your mind to shift
    from task mode to connected mode.
    I currently use a bridge as my marker to
    shift my mind into the best gear to be present with my family on the way home.
    The results will be more connectivity with your family with greater peace in
    your personal life.

    2. Use time to cause you to shift into the
    appropriate gear.
    The :58’s are good triggers to cause you to shift. If you
    have a meeting at 3PM, then use 2:58 to shift into thinking about your next
    meeting and the person specifically that you are going to meet. The results
    will be increased influence and more productivity as well.

    3. Don’t look at email before breakfast if possible.
    When we choose to do so we let others set our agenda for the day based on their
    email or request. When you choose to wait then you can appropriately recharge
    and be energized for the day ahead.

    I my new book, I take these concepts deeper by
    using a metaphor called the “5 Gears.”
    It is based on a manual stick-shift
    transmission, with each gear correlating to a corresponding behavior that
    people shift into at certain times and with certain people. Each gear has a
    purpose, and if you apply this driving analogy to the way you “drive” your life
    – aligning the right gear with the right speed and situation – it will allow
    for a smooth journey.
    The goal being to help busy adults become
    masters in emotional intelligence.
     

    If you have issues with being distracted or
    possibly with becoming overwhelmed by your work consistently, then your mind
    might be stuck in 4th or 5th gear. If you don’t shift
    appropriately then you will stay stuck in a gear that will eventually cause
    burnout, discontentment from loved ones and a disconnection from reality.  Most adults live in that space today.
     

    Learn how to
    shift your mind to be in the right gear at the right time and you will
    experience a work life balance based that leads to you being present and
    productive.
     

    Bestselling author
    Jeremie Kubicek is co-author of
    5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There Is Never Enough
    Time
    and co-founder of GiANT Worldwide, a global company dedicated to transforming
    and multiplying leaders and teams. Follow him on Twitter at @jeremiekubicek.
    « Are you Rewarding “the Right Stuff”?
    Before you can Lead Others, you need to Manage Yourself. »
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