Finding Life-Work Balance In Retirement

Achieving life-work balance might have been difficult for you earlier in your career. But it is a possibility now. And it's all a matter of perception.

You face challenges to work-life balance throughout all the stages in your life. First you take care of your children, then your parents need assistance. Health problems can occur at any age. Demands from your workplace... well, you know all about those. What can change is how you perceive these challenges in your life.

Blending Work and Life

A sense of imbalance occurs when you experience your work and your life as separate entities, rather than as a whole. Have you ever thought of your personal life as something that happens after work is taken care of?

When the work you do is truly an expression of who you are, then the balance between work and life naturally takes care of itself. Work and life blend together, are more organic and fluid. Your work is meaningful and matches your lifestyle.

What if you looked at it differently? Instead of speaking about finding "balance", it might be more appropriate to talk about how to plan your lifework.

Ideas For Creating Life-Work Balance

How do you put things in perspective and find a way to blend your work and life together? Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Take the time to assess what's most important to you. What are your priorities? These might include work, family, friends, hobbies, travel, learning, service, or leisure. And don't forget your health... exercise and self-care can give you some of the resources you need to fulfill your other priorities.

• Decide how much time you want to put into each. Any time management skills you learned on the job can be put to good use now.

• Think of ways you can simplify. Free up your time and energy for what matters the most to you. Relax your standards if needed. For instance, eliminate clutter in your home and office. Or decide that the house does not need to be vacuumed every week.

• Set clear goals or design a map. Listing your goals is a good way to make them real. If you're more right-brained, consider using mind map software such as FreeMind to brainstorm and organize your ideas. Visualize your future and then follow through!

One thing that's clear from this list is that the emphasis is on you - your choices, your decisions, your life. Think of this time as your chance to take more control of what you do and how you spend your time. You can make your own rules and define your own boundaries.

Remember Linda, who wants more life-work balance, as well as a retirement career that's different? Some ideas for her (and you) to consider for retirement careers are:

• part-time or temporary work
• flexible work arrangements
• self-employment or freelancing
• work/leisure cycles or life chapters

Whatever your choices are, it's important to take the time to plan your goals and develop strategies for achieving those goals.

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