M2 Lesson 1: What is work-life balance?

Core Competencies:

 Communication  Thinking  Personal & Social

Big Ideas:

 Finding balance between personal and work life promotes well-being

Curricular Competencies:

 Practice effective strategies for healthy school / work / life balance

In this lesson and activities, students will learn about the concept of work-life
balance and how it can affect one’s well being.

Lesson:

For students:

What is Work-Life Balance?

Work–life balance is the term used to describe the balance that an individual
needs between time allocated for work and other aspects of life. Areas of life
other than work-life can be, but are not limited to personal interests, family and
social or leisure activities.

Is Your Life Balanced?

Consider the above question.

Read the suggestions below and use them as possible starting points in answering
the question or add some of your own ideas.

 Analyze your daily diet and present ideas on how you could improve it.
 Present ideas on how you could prepare healthy lunches.
  Comment on the difficulties of eating in a healthy manner while leading a
busy life.
 Comment on the effect that media have on how you feel about yourself.
 Suggest ways by which you can reduce stress in your life.
 Analyze the cause and results of stress that you feel at certain times.
 Discuss the role that physical activity plays in your life.

Watch this video to hear author Nigel Marsh's perspective on the battle between
work and personal life.

TEDTalk: Nigel Marsh – Work Life Balance is an Ongoing Battle

[Link]

Check out this article from Forbes: 6 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

Discussion (either in class, or as an assignment in CANVAS), or Journal Entry:

We have been exploring the concept of work-life balance in terms of defining the
complexity of it, as well as examining the importance of it in the modern
professional world. However, as we’ve come across these pieces, the concept is a
very personal one and will change depending on the person in question. So now is
the time to consider your own work-life balance.
Predictably with such a controversial subject, understanding it in your own life is
not easy. It requires some self-reflection and consideration of whether the reality
of your work life may differ from how you’ve been perceiving it to be.
Although we are focusing on our personal work-life balance, we are sharing your
reflective process in a discussion as your insights may help other students with
their own work-life balance journey.
As a way of opening up your own understanding of your work-life balance, ask
yourself these questions:
1. What does a typical school and/or work day look like?
As stated above, assessing your own work-life balance requires a little more
reflection into your daily life than you’re likely used to. Being able to critically
examine how you spend your day, both at work and outside the office will help
make it clearer how that all-important balance can be achieved. What does a
typical day look like for you? What is your schedule like? What takes priority? How
often do you have to make changes on the go? Get a sense of your daily routine
as you consider the rest of these questions.
2. How often does school/work conflict with other aspects of your life?
Despite the importance you put on work-life balance, most people who have
worked even a single day of their life knows that sometimes your work will conflict
with the rest of your life. That is just a reality of employment that we all need to
come to terms with. Work-life balance doesn’t mean that you are ridding yourself
of that conflict, but rather that you are managing more efficiently. So while you
will occasionally miss dinner with the family because of a meeting or will have to
put in some extra hours over the weekend, consider how often these conflicts
occur. Is it an expected thing, or a rare occurrence? Do you find your work
endlessly encroaching on your home life?
3. Do you find yourself lacking in time?
Time management is something that a lot of people have trouble with and as a
result, you can feel as though you are constantly being run off your feet. Some
professionals always seem to be looking for some extra time in the day to deal
with their busy schedule. However, is this just a typical day or is it an
unreasonable workload? Whether it’s at work or with your life outside the office, a
lack of available time in the day could be an indication of a poor balance between
your tasks at hand. Even if it’s just robbing you of time to unwind at the end of the
day, that missing quality in your life is important and could make a significant
impact on your overall health.
4. Is there anything unnecessarily taking up your time?
Sometimes the fact that you don’t have any available time in the day means that
you are taking on far too much. You might step back and examine your schedule
then think that there’s just no room among your many duties. However, it could
be a simple matter of acknowledging that not everything is a priority. How often
are you dealing with work tasks when you’re at home? Are you constantly
checking in on emails over the weekend and trying to get a head start on the
coming week’s work? Maybe other things are keeping your schedule busy once
you leave work behind for the day, making it seem like you are always in work
mode. Looking for ways to make your schedule more manageable may be the
answer to finding that balance.
5. How realistic are your expectations?
Finally, you have to take a step back from it all and your dream concept of work-
life balance and consider the reality of the situation. Some people have false
perceptions of work-life balance that suggest work and the rest of your life should
be given equal share. This is wrong for a number of reasons and, as previously
stated, there is no one-size-fits-all equation to go by. So instead you must
consider your situation, consider the balance you are striving for and ask yourself
if it is realistic. Is there conflict in your life as a result of your work schedule? Are
you missing time in your day due to your routine? Or is finding harmony between
the aspects of your life a relatively easy accomplishment?
To complete this discussion, you may respond to these 5 questions by uploading a
file, entering a text submission or answering the questions through audio or
video. Make sure you check out the rubric to see how you will be graded for this
discussion. To view the rubric, scroll to the top of this page and click the three
small dots (see image below) and then click 'show rubric'.
Assessment:

As this is just a discussion either online or in class, no formal assessment is