Fast Company Article #1 By Susan Jarosak "Balancing Acts," edited by Anna Muoio, Feb.-March, 1999.

I usually break out into hives whenever I read articles about balance. Probably because a lot of writers equate balance with suggestions for helping us correct what we are doing wrong to cause the imbalance. Writers often offer "time saving" tips like cooking casseroles on Sunday that can be reheated for quick weekday meals. Tips like this are supposed to help us keep our lives balanced by saving our time and energy. I'm not against cooking (or eating), but just because it works for one person doesn't necessarily mean it works for everyone. Nevertheless, for credit sake, this article was worth reading and writing about. Besides, hives are temporary.

In the article, the author "interviewed ten business leaders and thinkers to describe their journeys toward balance." To be honest, my first reaction to this was, "oh great, more suggestions on how to manage my life from people who make a lot of money and can afford to take off and go to Tibet when they get stressed out." However, I found most of the comments from the interviews to be honest, helpful, and made me think about the "B" word differently.

The suggestion that balance is less about attaining a goal than making choices based on what is important to us was good. It fit my philosophy, as well as one of the interviewees that said "balance is an illusion - and to have it as a goal is self-defeating." I liked the idea that we should figure out what's important to us, and then let those things dictate our precious time.

The article included both practical suggestions and philosophical ideas for coping with the polarities in life. I consider the practical ones to be just plain good ways to work; to be less tolerant of things that are not a good use of our time, to learn to say no, to delegate, or to carve out time during the day to reflect, center ourselves. For us in Extension, it helps to have ample vacation and sick leave benefits if we need a break. Of course, we have to actually TAKE it for it to be a benefit. And, as I discussed this article with coworkers, they mentioned their option to take a study or professional development leave. My point is, time away from work can be rejuvenating and help us manage the stress.

The article also included comments that made me think more about our work roles and behaviors. One interviewee discussed how important it is for us to create supportive work environments that do not breed workaholic behavior. This hit home for me, as I have been very fortunate to be able to work in a 75% position, with the support from my supervisor, for the past three years. Any kind of flexible schedule is a real benefit, but having coworkers that encourage (and practice) a healthy attitude about working is gold - but unusual, unfortunately.

One observation I made was that none of the people interviewed in the article talked about asking for help from others to cope. Help could be from coworkers - to lighten the load or to talk to them about how they manage; from those at home; or from someone at an employee assistance program. Sometimes it just helps to talk with others about the challenges of trying too live well.

One interviewee talked about the discipline it takes to do good in both your personal and professional life. Discipline along with support and reheated casseroles.

-- Anonymous, March 08, 1999