Work Life a Balancing Act

Australians are loosing their laidback, carefree reputation, as we continue to work longer hours, exercise less and neglect our leisure and family time.

Recent research indicates that 67 per cent of Australian professionals spend at least 20 hours a week thinking about their job when they should be relaxing, and less than half take their entitled annual leave.

Why is juggling work and life priorities an increasingly difficult challenge for many people?

Could it be we are trying to pack more and more into our busy lives?

Or is it the fact we are now so overloaded with information that our attention span is getting shorter and shorter as we strive to wade through the deluge of messages now coming at us in a range of forms.

The Gartner group has found that we spend on average an hour a day dealing with emails and that only includes work related communication.

We are creating unnecessary stress for ourselves, which is taking a heavy toll on our families, not to mention our health.

Is this due to the information rich society we now live in?

Marketers in the US now know the average teenager is exposed to more than 3000 discreet advertising messages each day and by the time they have reached 18 they will have seen more than 10 million.

How do you manage family commitments while enhancing your career and dealing with all this increased clutter?

Well, most people are aware of their tendency to overload on work or information but simply don't know what to do to get their life back to a healthy balance.

Being successful isn't only about your career and your possessions, it's about waking up every day and feeling good about the person you are and the life that you have created.

Many people are searching for ways to achieve positive and lasting change both in and out of work.

As Paul Valery said early in the last century "the trouble with the future is - it isn't what it used to be".

The reality is many people are now living out someone else's life dreams without leaving the comfort of their own lounge room. Why renovate your house or makeover your garden, when you can fantasise and watch someone else do it on TV for you?

If you find yourself in this twilight zone you are not alone. Perth has more sunshine than any other capital yet Western Australians watch on average 14 hours a week of television.

Most people spend more time watching TV than taking time to create positive changes in their lives.

Life is not a rehearsal so why not step up and make a difference?

Take the example of two Perth primary school girls; Sarah Duff and Sarah Poggioli both aged 11 years. They raised enough money to hire a plane to fly over their school pulling a banner with the following message: "believe you can reach your goals, then you can".

It is amazing how children can help put life into perspective.

So what are the secrets to a healthy work life balance in a busy and demanding world? Here are the Top 5 ways you can get the life you deserve.

Work at being an optimist and take action. Take a positive attitude to life, get out and do things. Make things happen and take action.

Have strong self-belief. Believe in your potential to create the life you really want for you and your family.

Exercise regularly and eat well. Your physiology directly influences the quality of your life.

Visualise happy endings, schedule fun, and keep life simple. Make time to enjoy life. To laugh. To take time out.

Find perspective. Take the helicopter view to see the big picture and delegate if you can't do it all yourself.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.

You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.

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Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:49:35 GMT US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist - Wall Street Journal BBC News US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago By JAY SOLOMON WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is hoping to announce as soon as Saturday that it is tentatively removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a bid to kick-start a stalled nuclear disarmament agreement, ... AP: US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist The Associated Press US May Remove North Korea From Terrorism List, AP Reports Bloomberg Los Angeles Times - Voice of America - Financial Times - The Miami Herald all 1,714 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:02:40 GMT Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows - New York Times Los Angeles Times Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows New York Times - 2 hours ago By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and GRIFF PALMER Some longtime Republican strongholds in New York are becoming increasingly Democratic, a striking change driven by demographic shifts, intense voter registration drives by Democrats and allied groups and sagging ... Campus registration drives in full swing KARE Ott, Hook face off for open county office St. Joseph News-Press The News-Press - Winston-Salem Journal - Tampabay.com - Beaufort Gazette all 739 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:20:33 GMT G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown - Bloomberg Voice of America G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Simon Kennedy Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven finance chiefs, meeting after stocks plunged and as a global recession looms, vowed to prevent the failure of vital banks while failing to unveil new initiatives for thawing credit markets. Group of 7 Nations Seek Coordination in Rescue New York Times In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes The Miami Herald CNNMoney.com - The Associated Press - Boston Globe - FN Arena News all 890 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:03:42 GMT Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis - People's Daily Online Telegraph.co.uk Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis People's Daily Online - 1 hour ago US President George W. Bush arrives in the Rose Garden at the White House to makes a statement on the economy in Washington, October 10, 2008. President Bush vows action on financial crisis Los Angeles Times Bush's Lullaby to the Markets Washington Post Birmingham Star - Wall Street Journal - CNN - Bloomberg all 1,302 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:12:49 GMT McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day - New York Times CBS News McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day New York Times - 41 minutes ago Senator John McCain of Arizona and his supporters at a rally on Friday in La Crosse, Wis. By ELISABETH BUMILLER LAKEVILLE, Minn. - After a week of trying to portray Senator Barack Obama as a friend of terrorists who would drive the country into ... McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies Washington Post John McCain, speaking to supporters, tries to defuse an anti ... Los Angeles Times Reuters - DetNews.com - Austin American-Statesman - The Miami Herald all 304 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:08:14 GMT Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 19 minutes ago By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Wisconsin’s four biggest academic research institutions will collaborate on an initiative aimed at giving the state national stature in the fast-emerging field of individualized medicine, Gov. Marshfield Clinic gets biggest donation yet Chicago Tribune Wis. governor unveils gene research triangle Forbes Bizjournals.com - GenomeWeb News (subscription) - WJFW-TV - WISN.com all 51 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:29:44 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg Telegraph.co.uk Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US planning to buy equity in financial institutions Reuters Treasury Weighs Investing In Banks Washington Post International Herald Tribune - MarketWatch - CNNMoney.com - Bizjournals.com all 1,783 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Add Data Feed Content to Your Website Amazon Associate Feed

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