Work-life balance is something we actively need to plan and work on daily. In fact, part of it is planning our schedule more mindfully. At the same time we need to look carefully at how we are going about our day to day activities.
Role of Life Coaching in Identifying Challenges
Life coaching can help us to take stock of what is actually happening in our life. It allows us to explore what is working well for us and what is less helpful. Often we are so engrossed in “doing” mode that we fail to stop and observe what is really going on.
So coaching will assist us to identify some of the key causes of poor work-life balance. It will help us look more critically at which of the following aspects impact on our work-life balance:
- Lack of Assertiveness: Are we taking on too much work? Is this forcing us to work after hours? Are we being over-loaded just because we are good at delivering? Do we feel obligated to take on added roles outside of work e.g. being on the Parent Teacher committee or some sport committee or business forum? Life coaching will enable you to take a critical look at how our level of assertiveness affects our work-life balance.
- Personality: Are you a people pleaser and willing to take on added responsibilities to keep others happy? Or are you an A type personality who is so driven to achieve that your health and well-being may suffer?
- Coping styles: How do you cope with stress and pressure? Do you become stubborn, or give up or feel that whatever you have is never enough? Do you fall into destructive habits such as binge eating, misusing alcohol or drugs just to cope? Life coaching will help you identify your core coping styles and how to adapt them to bring about better work-life balance.
- Doing mode: Are you so driven to take action and be in action mode that there is little if no time to reflect on your life? Life coaching is a wonderful vehicle for reflection and re-strategising about your life.
- Poor planning: Do you tend to work from one crisis to another? Some people are adrenaline junkies who love the excitement of activity. It comes at a price in the long term through disease and illness. Coaching will teach you how to pace yourself better so that you can achieve better work-life balance.
- Poor habits and patterns: What habits or patterns of behaviour have you developed that are no longer serving you? e.g. Automatically working extended hours, eating a lot of fast foods or neglecting exercise because you have no time? Life coaching equips you to establish constructive habits
- Not delegating: Coaching will help you assess how well you are making use of other resources to achieve what you want. This includes at work as well as at home.
Choose Your Life Coach Wisely
Every second person seems to be a coach these days. This unfortunately gives coaching a bad name. So I would really recommend that you do your homework well. Meet and interview various coaches before making your final choice.
You will achieve amazing results if the fit is good between you and the coach. On the other hand, if something does not feel right or you do not “click” with the coach in the first session already, walk away. Find someone else who is more suitable and with whom you gel.
I consider life coaching to be such a sacred journey: I am privy to someone else’s inner world. As coach I need to tread very softly so that I can gain your trust and help support your agenda, not mine. I need to hold a safe space for you and at the same time help you to address aspects that no longer serve your best interests or well-being.
Contact me if you would like to explore how life coaching can further enrich your life.