The concept of work-life balance has always been one that people have struggled with, but this last year completely threw that idea out the door. Not only did many of us start working from our living rooms, but it was difficult not to bring our work concerns home and vice versa. Many people believe that alignment between work and life will lead you to a sense of balance in your life. The truth is, trying to find balance in your work and life will only make you feel drained.
So, how do you find alignment between work and life? To find work-life alignment, you need to have a clear vision of what you want in your life. Once you know what you want, start to think about integrating your work to help you reach this goal. The following steps can help you find alignment between work and life:
- What’s really important to you?
The COVID-19 pandemic made all of us hit a hard realization that we had not been paying enough attention to the things that are important to us. Explore what things are essential and valuable in your life. What do you need in your life? It could be time with family, working out, alone time, volunteering, hobbies, etc.
- How does your work situation fuel you?
Using the things that are important in your life, think about your current work. Listen to your gut-pay attention to the rumble! Your inner source will let you know whether there is alignment and whether work is meeting your needs. Various signs can show up if there is no alignment. For example, do you feel drained after a day of work? Is workload causing you to restrict your time on things that are important to you? Then there may not be alignment. If you feel like there is alignment, you are probably in a situation where your work fuels you and motivates you.
- What can you do to create better alignment?
Things will not change instantly, be patient. The alignment will be a work in progress because it will involve change. Create a plan with small tasks that will help you achieve alignment. An example could be, learning and growing your skills may be something you are passionate about, so what projects can you take on at work? Or, maybe you are a leader who wants to spend more time with family and cut down on hours at work. Consider what things you could start delegating at home or at work. 
The key is to let go of the things that drain your energy. Remember, you won’t find balance if you are constantly fighting about where to spend your energy. Instead, make it your goal to find alignment in your life and use that energy to fuel your passions!
