Over the years of blogging and podcasting about how different people balance their work with everything else in life, I’ve witnessed the power of honest self-reflection.
Seeking an understanding of the roots of an individual’s work values, I’ve observed, goes a long way in helping make sense of work-life balance choices. Doing so, can foster greater acceptance and compassion – of oneself and others.
It can also ignite clarity about what needs to change. Or what warrants celebration.
This is why I’ve developed the Work, Life, Balance Self-Assessment:
In the privacy of their own company, listeners of the podcast can be guided through a process of assessing their own sense of balance. A simple seven-day process, the Work, Life, Balance Self-Assessment prompts consideration of how you perceive and quantify your overall sense of balance, over the course of one full week.
The self-assessment works in four simple steps:
- Start by estimating your work-to-life ratio as you perceive it right now. This number is just a starting point—it can be whatever feels right to you in this moment.
- Track your perceived ratio each day for a week. Try to do this at the end of each day, noting how you felt about the balance in that 24 hours. If consecutive days aren’t possible, aim for at least five days over a longer period.
- Once you have a week’s worth of entries, calculate the average. How does this week’s average compare with the ratio you originally noted? Is it what you expected, or did you notice something surprising?
- Reflect on the insights. How do these numbers correlate to the way you feel? Did you feel balanced on the days with higher life ratios, or did a slightly heavier work focus leave you feeling productive and fulfilled? There’s no right answer, just what resonates with you.
Listeners may find it helpful to consider what is often discussed on A Fine Balance as the three pillars of balance —individuality, fluidity, and intentionality.
For a deeper understanding of this, and additional insights and guidance on how to get the most out of the Work, Life, Balance Self-Assessment, take a listen to Episode 34: Work, Life, Balance Self-Assessment: a Tool for Reflecting on Your Personal Pursuit of Balance.
I’ve tested it out myself and found the results to be really enlightening.
The Work, Life, Balance Self-Assessment is available now to download for free from the website: www.a-fine-balance.com.
For those that have completed the self-assessment and want to discuss what it highlighted with others that have done the same, please get in touch at info@a-fine-balance.com to join a group discussion.