"Go Ahead - Get a Life!" Keys to Finding the Balance in Your Life

Do you feel like you're on a never-ending treadmill with little balance in your life? The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce October 7 Business Education Series (BES) will help you learn how to relax and reprogram in today's chaotic world. Betty Mahalik, a veteran life and business coach, will help you gain perspective on exactly what balance is and isn't and how to find the right balance between your work and your life.

Q. How difficult is it in today's stressful economy to maintain a work/life balance?

A. "It's more stressful not only in today's economy, but given our 24/7 lifestyles and communication devices, we often have the feeling that we're always 'on call. That's why I advocate that people create clear boundaries around their time. Decide when to turn it all off. Have 'sacred' time where you are not available. Put yourself on the 'to do' list and don't allow someone else's priorities to automatically be yours. We have to teach people when they can have access to us and when we're unavailable."

Q. What are the most common obstacles people face in trying to establish and maintain a harmonious lifestyle at home and at work?

A. "Trying to do too much, and that goes for children's activities. There is research that shows children who are over-programmed and overscheduled eventually push back. They want to be kids and have free time. The 80-20 rule applies here: 80 percent of the benefits in your life derive from 20 percent of the activities you do. What are your ‘top 20 percent?'

Another obstacle is not being able to say 'no' - thinking that if I don't say 'yes' someone will think less of me. It's much better to say, 'No, I am not able to take that on right now' than to say ‘yes' and drag through the project resenting every second of it. As someone has said, 'no' is a complete sentence. When someone asks if you can take on a new project or chair a committee, get in the habit of saying, 'I really need to check my schedule and see if that is going to work.' That buys you time to consider if this is the right activity for you to take on at this time. I also recommend doing an annual audit to analyze if the organizations and activities you're involved in still fit your values. Just think about it: If you eliminate one activity that takes two hours a week, that adds up to more than 100 hours a year. What could you do with an extra two hours a week?

Also, there's thinking you have to do everything yourself - usually a thin disguise for perfectionism or being a control freak. You DON'T have to do everything yourself. If you're self-employed and don't enjoy doing invoices or keeping the books, hire someone who loves that kind of work. Most likely your time is worth more than the $30-$40 an hour you might pay, say a virtual assistant, so the ‘investment' will pay off. If you work 8-5 and have activities that leave little time for house-cleaning, either delegate (and train) children if you have them, or hire professionals to assist you."

Q. How can people "de-stress" and find harmony in today's often stress-provoking world?

A. "It's essential to have a 'personal self-care' strategy that you practice consistently. Stress experts advise that you have three types of stress-management strategies, based on the premise that it's not the stress that's damaging - it's the lack of recovery time. If we allow no recovery time, we eventually suffer illness, depression or other problems.

We need short-term recovery activities that we do on a daily basis: exercise, meditation, walking, journaling, being with friends, etc. Medium-range recovery includes weekend recreation, hobbies and activities you can do just for the fun of it. Finally, the long-range recovery activities are the vacations. It always amazes me when I coach clients to hear their answers to these questions:

• What do you do everyday just for you?
• What do you do for fun or to relax?
• When was the last time you took a real vacation, without dragging along the crackberry, laptop or other ‘electronic leash?'

As adults, we have to take the initiative to do these things. No one will give us permission."

To register for the Chamber's upcoming BES session, go to www.lvchamber.com or call Member Services at 702.641.5822