As leaders, we hear about work-life balance all the time. Whether it’s parenting blogs, social media, or workshops at leadership conferences, the chase for work-life balance is everywhere. Yet for busy leaders with demanding careers, work-life balance is just not possible. What is possible, however, is work-life integration.
In this two-part blog I’m sharing the top tools I use to achieve work-life integration in my life, and I think you’ll find them helpful too. Remember, everyone’s view of integration looks different, so focus on what works for you!
Delegate and Elevate™
Many of us are leaders both at work and home; the demands never stop, and we can feel pulled in all directions by the never-ending list of chores, deadlines, and tasks. The key to finding more balance and less stress is to delegate the tasks you don’t like and aren’t good at and use your time only for the things you like and are good at or love and are great at. I use a practice called Delegate and Elevate™, developed by Gino Wickman, to categorize my tasks both at work and home. Simply categorize all of your tasks into these four quadrants: Love/Are Great At, Like/Are Good At, Don’t Like/Happen to Be Good At, and Don’t Like/Not Good At. Use our template to stay organized! Once you have a clear visual of where your tasks fall, focus on delegating all of the things you don’t like or love doing.
It may be difficult to delegate at first, but you’ll often find that the tasks you don’t like are what someone else enjoys. One of my employees loves to research and create spreadsheets. These are some of the last things I would ever want to do, but when I ask her to do them, she is excited. Finding what you can swap with your co-workers will bring you all closer to feeling more fulfillment and less stress, and don’t be afraid to outsource tasks as well. Be intentional about spending time on things that further your values and priorities.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog where I’m sharing two more tools to help you shatter the illusion of work-life balance. No matter what circumstances you’re going through, these tools will help maximize success!