All Work and All Play? - Breathing Space Blog

This massive New York Times article from years back illuminates the state of work and play in contemporary society, and is well worth your perusal.

Leave the Office on Time - Breathing Space Blog

Decide that one day of the week, say Tuesday, will be a normal eight or nine hour workday and nothing more. As such, you will automatically begin to be more focused about what you want to get done on Tuesdays. Almost imperceptibly you begin to parcel out your time during the day more judiciously. So, at midday stop and assess what you've done and what else you'd like to get done.

Near the end of the day, assess what more you realistically can get done and what's best to leave for subsequent days.

Recruit Others: Once you've solidly made the decision to leave on time, say on Tuesdays, every cell in your body works in unison to help you accomplish your proclamation. A natural, internal alignment starts in motion. Your internal cylinders fire in harmony with what it takes for you to have a buoyant, productive work day on Tuesday and leave on time. To ensure that you get out on time, let others know about your plans.

Strike a bargain with yourself. Suppose it's 2:45 p.m. and there are three more items you'd like to accomplish before the day is over. Ask yourself, "What would it take for me to feel good about ending work on time today?" This phrase gives you the freedom to feel good about leaving the office on time because you struck a bargain with yourself wherein you said exactly what you needed to accomplish in order to leave on time and feel good about it.

Re-strike the Bargain. Suppose you have three items on your plate that you want to finish so that you can feel good about leaving on time. Then, the boss drops a bomb on your desk late in the day. Strike a new bargain with yourself, given the prevailing circumstances. Your new bargain may include simply making sufficient headway on the project that's been dropped in your lap, or accomplishing two of your previous tasks and X percent of this new project.

Work-Life Balance - Breathing Space Blog

Work-Life Balance: The Prevailing Issue of Our Times
                                  by Jeff Davidson

For several years now, those who apparently have no idea what work-life balance is and have virtually never experienced it are proclaiming that it is passé, in favor of work-life harmony, or work-life integration.

The truth is, these terms all mean approximately the same things. You can split hairs anyway you want, and I suppose that's a good way to differentiate a program if you're seeking to offer one to clients, but the reality is work-life balance is the overarching issue of our time that all career professionals strive to achieve.

As The Work-life Balance Expert®,® I define work-life balance as the ability to experience a sense of control and to stay productive and competitive at work while maintaining a happy, healthy home-life with sufficient leisure. It is attaining focus and awareness despite seemingly endless tasks and activities competing for your time and attention.

Work-life balance entails having some breathing space for yourself each day, feeling a sense of accomplishment while not being consumed by work, and having an enjoyable domestic life without short-changing career obligations. It is rooted in whatever fulfillment means to you within 24-hour days, seven-day weeks, and however many years you have left.

Supporting Disciplines
Several disciplines support work-life balance though, individually, none are synonymous with work-life balance:

1) Self Management
Sufficiently managing one's self can be challenging, particularly in getting proper sleep, exercise, and nutrition. Self-management is the recognition that effectively using the spaces in our lives is vital, and that life, time, and available resources are finite. It means becoming captain of our own ship; no one is coming to steer for us.

2) Time Management
Effective time management involves making optimal use of your day and the supporting resources that can be summoned – you can only keep pace when your resources match your challenges. Time management is enhanced through appropriate goals and discerning what is both important and urgent, versus important OR urgent. It entails understanding what you do best and when, and assembling the appropriate tools to accomplish specific tasks.

3) Stress Management
By nature, societies tend to become more complex over time. In the face of increasing complexity, stress on the individual is inevitable. More people, noise, and distractions, independent of one's individual circumstances, require each of us to become more adept at maintaining tranquility and being able to work ourselves out of pressure-filled situations. Most forms of multi-tasking ultimately increase our stress, while focusing on one thing at a time helps decrease stress.

4) Change Management
In our fast-paced world, change is virtually the only constant. Continually adopting new methods, adapting old, and re-adapting all methods is vital to a successful career and a happy home life. Effective change management involves offering periodic and concerted efforts so that the volume and rate of change at work and at home does not overwhelm or defeat you.

5) Technology Management
Effectively managing technology requires ensuring that technology serves you, rather than abuses you. Technology has always been with us, since the first walking stick, spear, flint, and wheel. Today, the rate of technological change is accelerating, brought on by vendors seeking expanding market share. Often you have no choice but to keep up with the technological Joneses, but rule technology, don’t let it rule you.

6) Leisure Management
The most overlooked of the work-life balance supporting disciplines, leisure management acknowledges the importance of rest and relaxation- that one can't short-change leisure, and that "time off" is a vital component of the human experience. Curiously, too much of the same leisure activity, however enjoyable, can lead to monotony. Thus, effective leisure management requires varying one's activities.

Entirely Achievable
Achieving work-life balance does not require radical changes in what you do. It is about developing fresh perspectives and sensible, actionable solutions that are appropriate for you. It is fully engaging in life with what you have, right where you are, smack dab in the ever-changing dynamics of your existence.

My Vision for Everyone - Breathing Space Blog

A vision for us all: we have a house on or near a lake or large body of water. We're in a low traffic area with lots of fields and trails. There are travel clubs and groups around that want to take trips, particularly theme trips such as couples, or parent-children. There is sunshine, water, fresh air, great scenery.

Whenever we leave home, we have an easy exit, light packing, low stress, easy travel, early rising, lots of naps, in a child-friendly environment. Our activities are free or low cost. We explore cities and densely packed areas with ease. Thrice annually we cruise to exotic places, have a great time, intimacy, and breathing space. We accomplish "nothing." We are rested, trim, relaxed and happy. This repeats over and over.

My Vision for Everyone - Breathing Space Blog

A vision for us all: we have a house on or near a lake or large body of water. We're in a low traffic area with lots of fields and trails. There are travel clubs and groups around that want to take trips, particularly theme trips such as couples, or parent-children. There is sunshine, water, fresh air, great scenery.

Whenever we leave home, we have an easy exit, light packing, low stress, easy travel, early rising, lots of naps, in a child-friendly environment. Our activities are free or low cost. We explore cities and densely packed areas with ease. Thrice annually we cruise to exotic places, have a great time, intimacy, and breathing space. We accomplish "nothing." We are rested, trim, relaxed and happy. This repeats over and over.

True Leisure is Vital - Breathing Space Blog

True leisure is necessary in our lives. It cannot be squeezed into our busy days. It must happen at its own pace. We need to take the time to relax. Without a balance between work and play, we become "human doings" instead of human beings.

True Leisure is Vital - Breathing Space Blog

True leisure is necessary in our lives. It cannot be squeezed into our busy days. It must happen at its own pace. We need to take the time to relax. Without a balance between work and play, we become "human doings" instead of human beings.

For Fun: 50 Movies - Breathing Space Blog

Just for fun: 50 movies that will stir your mind and emotions
Alive (Ethan Hawke)
Lost Weekend (Ray Milland)
Shadow Lands (Anthony Hopkins, Deborah Winger)
Twelve Monkeys (Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, Martin Landau)

The Year of Living Dangerously (Mel Gibson, Sigourney Waever)
Glory (Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington)
A Soldier's Story (Howard Rollins, Denzel Washington)
Full Metal Jacket (Matthew Modine)
Days of Wine and Roses (Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick)

The Next Man (Sean Connery)
Modern Romance (Albert Brooks, Katherine Herrold)
The Man Who Would Be King (Sean Connery, Michael Caine)
Real Life (Albert Brooks)
L.A. Story (Steve Martin)

Fail Safe (Henry Fonda)
Broadway Danny Rose (Woody Allen, Mia Farrow)
Far and Away (Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman)
The King's Speech (Colin Firth)
Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks)

Malcolm X (Denzel Washington)
Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner)
The Trip to Bountiful (Geraldine Page)
The Sure Thing (John Cusack)
Enchanted April (Miranda Richardson)

A Month by the Lake (Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox)
Hear My Song (Ned Beatty)
The Local Hero (Peter Reigert)
Drugstore Cowboy (Matt Dillon)
Gallipoli (Mel Gibson)

The Marrying Man (Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger)
Restoration (Robert Downey, Sam Neill)
Millennium (Cheryl Ladd, Kris Kristoferson)
Honeymoon in Vegas (Nicholas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker)
Casa Blanca (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman)

Dr. Zhivago (Omar Sharif, Julie Christie)
"Z" (Yves Montand)
Serpico (Al Pacino)
The 7 Beauties (Giancarlo Giannini)
Close Encounters (Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon)

Chariots of Fire (Ben Cross)
An Officer and a Gentleman (Richard Gere, Deborah Winger)
Time Machine (Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimmeux)
Day of the Jackal (Edward Fox)
It Happened One Night (Clark Gable, Claudet Colbert)

Women in Love (Glenda Jackson, Alan Bates)
Any Which Way you Can (Clint Eastwood, Sondra Lockwood)
Prince of Tides (Nick Nolte, Barbara Streisand)
The Usual Suspects (Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey)
The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis, Halley Joel Osment)

For Fun: 50 Movies - Breathing Space Blog

Just for fun: 50 movies that will stir your mind and emotions
Alive (Ethan Hawke)
Lost Weekend (Ray Milland)
Shadow Lands (Anthony Hopkins, Deborah Winger)
Twelve Monkeys (Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, Martin Landau)

The Year of Living Dangerously (Mel Gibson, Sigourney Waever)
Glory (Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington)
A Soldier's Story (Howard Rollins, Denzel Washington)
Full Metal Jacket (Matthew Modine)
Days of Wine and Roses (Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick)

The Next Man (Sean Connery)
Modern Romance (Albert Brooks, Katherine Herrold)
The Man Who Would Be King (Sean Connery, Michael Caine)
Real Life (Albert Brooks)
L.A. Story (Steve Martin)

Fail Safe (Henry Fonda)
Broadway Danny Rose (Woody Allen, Mia Farrow)
Far and Away (Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman)
The King's Speech (Colin Firth)
Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks)

Malcolm X (Denzel Washington)
Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner)
The Trip to Bountiful (Geraldine Page)
The Sure Thing (John Cusack)
Enchanted April (Miranda Richardson)

A Month by the Lake (Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox)
Hear My Song (Ned Beatty)
The Local Hero (Peter Reigert)
Drugstore Cowboy (Matt Dillon)
Gallipoli (Mel Gibson)

The Marrying Man (Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger)
Restoration (Robert Downey, Sam Neill)
Millennium (Cheryl Ladd, Kris Kristoferson)
Honeymoon in Vegas (Nicholas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker)
Casa Blanca (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman)

Dr. Zhivago (Omar Sharif, Julie Christie)
"Z" (Yves Montand)
Serpico (Al Pacino)
The 7 Beauties (Giancarlo Giannini)
Close Encounters (Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon)

Chariots of Fire (Ben Cross)
An Officer and a Gentleman (Richard Gere, Deborah Winger)
Time Machine (Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimmeux)
Day of the Jackal (Edward Fox)
It Happened One Night (Clark Gable, Claudet Colbert)

Women in Love (Glenda Jackson, Alan Bates)
Any Which Way you Can (Clint Eastwood, Sondra Lockwood)
Prince of Tides (Nick Nolte, Barbara Streisand)
The Usual Suspects (Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey)
The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis, Halley Joel Osment)

Take Your Vacations! - Breathing Space Blog

Americans schedule an average of 14 vacation days a year, the average Britisher schedules 24. Americans typically don't use 3 of those days, giving back time to their employers.

Take Your Vacations! - Breathing Space Blog

Americans schedule an average of 14 vacation days a year, the average Britisher schedules 24. Americans typically don't use 3 of those days, giving back time to their employers.

Audiobook: Work-Life Balance Starting Today - Breathing Space Blog

Technology was supposed to make us ultra-efficient, thereby enabling us to finish our projects and tasks faster and have more leisure time! How is that working out for you? Actually, as the pace of work and life accelerates, people everywhere find themselves striving for solutions to the constant time-pressure that they encounter.

Here's help:  Work-Life Balance Starting Today

Audiobook: Work-Life Balance Starting Today - Breathing Space Blog

Technology was supposed to make us ultra-efficient, thereby enabling us to finish our projects and tasks faster and have more leisure time! How is that working out for you? Actually, as the pace of work and life accelerates, people everywhere find themselves striving for solutions to the constant time-pressure that they encounter.

Here's help:  Work-Life Balance Starting Today

"Leisure" Enters the Language - Breathing Space Blog

"Oceanside amusement parks such as Coney Island catered to thrill seekers of the day.  Hair-raising rides and games of ring toss with Kewpie-doll prizes were new "leisure time" activities -- the phrase was coined in 1907 -- that beckoned after the workday began to grow shorter." 
       Carol Strickland, Civilization magazine, May/June 1995

Enjoying Life - Mark Twain - Breathing Space Blog

"The first half of life consists of the capacity to enjoy without the chance; the last half consists of the chance without the capacity." – Mark Twain

Enjoying Life - Mark Twain - Breathing Space Blog

"The first half of life consists of the capacity to enjoy without the chance; the last half consists of the chance without the capacity." – Mark Twain

Your 2007 Vacation - Breathing Space Blog

At this site: the New 7 Wonders of the World you get to make your vote for what you believe ought be regarded as the new seven wonders. Seems like a marketing ploy, but it did get me thinking. Here’s what I would choose:
* Great Wall of China
* Europabrucke over Italy's Brenner Pass
* Machu Picchu
* Stonehenge
* Easter Island Statues
* Ruins of Ephesus
* Mount Rushmore

Runner's Up
* Ankgor Wat
* Sydney Opera House
* Panama Canal
* Colosseum
* Statue of Liberty
* Acropolis
* Eiffel Tour

You deserve breathing space this year. Which site will you visit?

Your 2007 Vacation - Breathing Space Blog

At this site: the New 7 Wonders of the World you get to make your vote for what you believe ought be regarded as the new seven wonders. Seems like a marketing ploy, but it did get me thinking. Here’s what I would choose:
* Great Wall of China
* Europabrucke over Italy's Brenner Pass
* Machu Picchu
* Stonehenge
* Easter Island Statues
* Ruins of Ephesus
* Mount Rushmore

Runner's Up
* Ankgor Wat
* Sydney Opera House
* Panama Canal
* Colosseum
* Statue of Liberty
* Acropolis
* Eiffel Tour

You deserve breathing space this year. Which site will you visit?

Wellness On Wheels - Breathing Space Blog

Here’s a site apparently for the ultra-frantic: Wellness On Wheels – “Most people live life at a frantic pace-rushing around in the morning, getting ready for work, dealing with rush hour traffic, working through lunch, racing home to find something, anything, they can call ‘dinner’, and then try to catch up on all the personal responsibilities at night or on weekends. It’s exhausting!”

“We come to you! No travel time, dealing with the weather, or getting yourself psyched up to work out - we bring the health club to your door! And when we show up at the appointed time, we also provide focus and motivation, ensuring that the time spent exercising is safe and effective!”

Wellness On Wheels - Breathing Space Blog

Here’s a site apparently for the ultra-frantic: Wellness On Wheels – “Most people live life at a frantic pace-rushing around in the morning, getting ready for work, dealing with rush hour traffic, working through lunch, racing home to find something, anything, they can call ‘dinner’, and then try to catch up on all the personal responsibilities at night or on weekends. It’s exhausting!”

“We come to you! No travel time, dealing with the weather, or getting yourself psyched up to work out - we bring the health club to your door! And when we show up at the appointed time, we also provide focus and motivation, ensuring that the time spent exercising is safe and effective!”