Making time for fun and sleep will enhance the quality of your life and increase your work productivity. You may wonder how you can do this when your workday has grown from eight hours into 12, 14 or more, and there's still not enough time. The answer is time management for your career, play and rest. No cringing! Time management does not have to be a painful experience; it is your tool to creating a balanced life.
Having fun is a key factor in having a happy life; people who play are 20 times more likely to feel joyful. If you are happy, you bring a better attitude and increased energy into to the office, helping you to handle the stresses of the daily grind more easily.
Of course, there are times when you need to put in extra time at work. However, when you spend so much time at work that there is no time for play, you should ponder the words of Pope John Paul II, "Man always travels along precipices. His truest obligation is to keep his balance." Work will be there tomorrow, as it will be there the day after that, and the day after that. Can you say the same about play?
According to Nancy Shute in U.S. News & World Report, "A little play can help solve big problems. Play is nature's great tool for creating new neural networks and for reconciling cognitive difficulties. When we play, dilemmas and challenges naturally filter through the unconscious mind and work themselves out. Even a few hours spent doing something you love can make you new again."
Schedule fun into your calendar and actually do it. Laugh, relax, clear your mind and unwind. In a national survey conducted by Harris Interactive, only one in five Americans spend time doing something for themselves. Of those who do, nearly a third feel guilty about it.
Become the one in five. Go to work feeling more productive and efficient knowing you have something to look forward to at the end of the day. Your schedule will force you to get as much done during the workday as you can, before it's time to go out.
At first, it will be hard to put "go bike riding with the kids" on your calendar and take it seriously. It may be difficult to keep such appointments. However, the goal is balance for life. Work will be there tomorrow, and your calendar reminds you that it's time to focus on your well-being.
Just as important to your work productivity is sleep. Sleep allows your body to rest, lets stress go and helps you heal. A 2005 survey by the National Sleep Foundation found 26 percent of adults get a good night's sleep only a few nights a month or less. Another 24 percent get a good night's sleep a few nights a week. Sleepy workers are less productive, unable to focus and more apt to make mistakes. Getting enough sleep helps you stay focused at work and allows you to enjoy your fun time.
Planning sleep may be harder to schedule than play. How much sleep do you need to factor into your schedule? According to Dr. Kenneth G. Berge from MayoClinic.com, most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep. The importance of getting enough sleep should not be overlooked. Harvard Women's Health Watch lists these reasons to get enough sleep: Increased memory, better health, higher level of alertness and less moodiness.
Even in the military, where 12 hours on, 12 off is a way of life, work/rest cycles are enforced in a combat environment to insure soldiers have an opportunity to get enough rest to be combat ready and maintain good health. Your body tells you how much sleep you need. Listen to it and plan to get this amount of sleep each and every night.
In the words of a recent article about work-life balance on MayoClinic.com, " ... striking a healthy work-life balance isn't a one-shot deal. Creating work-life balance is a continuous process as your family, interests and work life change. Periodically examine your priorities and make changes, if necessary to make sure you're keeping on track." There will be times when you can schedule more fun and periods when you do have to put in more hours at work.
It has taken me a long time to make balance a priority. I have donated countless hours at work, slept less than five hours a night and lost hours of valuable fun time. As noted in the Harris Interactive Study, I felt guilty about having time to enjoy myself when there was something at work that needed to be completed. I was afraid I wouldn't be spontaneous and life would be too structured if I planned everything. The problem is, by not planning time for fun or sleep, I was either working or too worn out for spontaneity. I also made more mistakes and poor decisions. So now, I plan my sleep and fun time and am more rested, spontaneous and productive at work.
More often than not, we live our lives in the fast lane. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." It's OK to slow down and create a time management plan that includes work, fun and rest.
Author Robert Fulghum said, "Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."
Take the next month and utilize your day planner fully by scheduling time for fun and sleep and see how much better you feel, how productive you are at work and how much better you are at handling stress.
Mindy Gonzalez is a program specialist in the TMCC Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division, where she assists with customized training for businesses. She can be reached at mgonzalez@tmcc.edu.
