| By :
Mark Etinger
A lot of people, myself included, have a hard time maintaining a good work life balance. This term, coined in the early 1800s by anthropologists, refers to the delicate balance between professional life and personal life that is needed to live a sane, rational, and stable life. In recent years, it seems the work/life balance has been fatally thrown off. The "work" element has tipped the scales and is slowly overtaking all other aspects of life because of the overwhelming prevalence of technology in our lives. Smart phones, computers, tablets, laptops, email, voicemails, and text messages make it so that someone can get hold of us at any time almost instantaneously. These devices have kept us tethered to our desks no matter where we are. How many times have you been out on a date and checked your blackberry or iPhone? How many times in a movie theatre do you put your phone on vibrate instead of silent so that you are alerted to anything that might happen in your life? This persistent connectivity has been causing, among other things, a phenomenon called "burnout." It extends to people as far up as CEOs and trickles down through the workforce to even those in minimum wage jobs. This burnout is categorized as overstressed, overworked, and sometimes medically destructive. It is also adversely affection people's personal relationships. The pressure to make money in a slumping economy, coupled with family obligations and rising prices have forced workers to longer hours to keep up with demanding jobs. Cutbacks at companies have pushed extra responsibilities on workers who need to again, work longer and harder to keep their heads above water. The best way to maintain a good work life balance is to make a severe disconnect between the two. Set boundaries for yourself. Maybe after your commute home you turn off your office phone or manipulate your phone settings to stop sending you notifications from that account for a certain length time. Yes, the work will be there when you go to the office in the morning, but honestly, if your brain doesn't get a chance to recharge and recoup after a long day at work, you're headed towards "burnout." Studies reveal that the workers who check their email more often than their peers also rank highest in experiencing anxiety. Slow down in increments. Today I'll check my email every twenty minutes, then next week every thirty. Please give yourself time to recharge.
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