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Balancing work and play?

Giggly

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Does anyone have any tips on how to do this effectively? I seem to be all work or all play, no in between or balance. I go stretches of time where all I'm doing is working, working, working and being all serious business and stuff and I don't get any playtime. Of course, I feel burned out after this and can't wait until I get some free time, and then when I do, I fully immerse myself into fun things and forget all about work until I'm like "Holy crap, I'm so behind on work! Time to rush to catch up!" This is not good. I just want to learn how to balance the two like a normal person does! Any advice would be appreciated.
 

Scott N Denver

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Does a normal person achieve balance??? I don't hear people commenting about that too often...

Many people ahve made or agreed with comments ot the affect of "its like a switch, and you need to be able to throw that switch. when work is over, they aren't paying you to be at home and still worried about work stuff. you've gotta let it go. the sooner you can learn that, the better off you will be."
 

Windigo

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Play? Does not compute! LOL! I can't seem to do it anymore unless there's an objective (like a game/sport/excursion). My poor children. :doh:
 
S

sammy

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Hmm, I get into trouble because of this swinging that you describe.

Maybe the impending doom of not doing that work you put off is the kind of push you need after some fun to jumpstart you back into the "correct" mindset to work efficiently in all other times.
 

Timeless

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Personally, I play while I work, and I work while I play... if that makes sense.

:)
 

foolish heart

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Seems like the real problem here is time management, and it's a very normal thing for people to struggle with. Figure out how much time you need each day to reach your work goals and how much and how often you need playtime then make a schedule. After that, all you have to do is keep a closer eye on the clock and stick to your intended schedule. :)
 

Halla74

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Hmm, I get into trouble because of this swinging that you describe.

Maybe the impending doom of not doing that work you put off is the kind of push you need after some fun to jumpstart you back into the "correct" mindset to work efficiently in all other times.

+1, guilty as charged with this about twice per year. This is me without alot of drive, but still high standards of existence by default. :dry:

Personally, I play while I work, and I work while I play... if that makes sense.

:)

Timeless drops great wisdom! :yes: FUN is a mindset. Live it! :yay:

Seems like the real problem here is time management, and it's a very normal thing for people to struggle with. Figure out how much time you need each day to reach your work goals and how much and how often you need playtime then make a schedule. After that, all you have to do is keep a closer eye on the clock and stick to your intended schedule. :)

Very true. One of my favorite time management exercises to get into this mindset is to list out 5 things I have to do on my whiteboard, in the order I need to do them. Then I sit down, and aggressively knock out task #1, stand up cross it out, then sit down and nail #2, then cross it out, #3 goes down next, etc.

I'm a big believer in physically interacting with my tasks and creativity. There is something reinforcing about seeing the list, and seeing it being closed out as you complete each line item. You'd be amazed at how much you can get done in an hour if you organize, focus, and compartmentalize your efforts in a way that gives you feedback as to your progress. :newwink:
 

FDG

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Mmm. That's a good question. Well, here is what works for me: given that work basically almost never ends (supposing you need to work to earn money to survive etc.), I plan when I want to play. Nothing detailed (that would take away the fun). Monday morning, I'll say "Wednesday morning I'll do activity X that I like". I try to keep it short-term, otherwise it would feel like an obligation; this way, instead, I'm able to look forward to it without obsessing about its execution. Obviously, you need a flexible work schedule, otherwise this kind of planning is harder to execute.
 

sLiPpY

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This is something I seem to do naturally. Work, play, vegitate!
 

Craft

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Personally, I play while I work, and I work while I play... if that makes sense.

:)

If only your job is fun or even almost entertaining..

@OP

get a better job.
 

Giggly

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Does a normal person achieve balance??? I don't hear people commenting about that too often

Good question! I don't even know what's normal anymore. Is this not normal? :huh:

Play? Does not compute! LOL! I can't seem to do it anymore unless there's an objective (like a game/sport/excursion). My poor children. :doh:

LOL! You poor thing. You should play more!

Personally, I play while I work, and I work while I play... if that makes sense.

:)

I don't understand. Do tell more!

Seems like the real problem here is time management, and it's a very normal thing for people to struggle with. Figure out how much time you need each day to reach your work goals and how much and how often you need playtime then make a schedule. After that, all you have to do is keep a closer eye on the clock and stick to your intended schedule. :)

I'm good at making schedules but I don't always stick to my schedules.:blush:
This is when my ISFP side comes out.

+1, guilty as charged with this about twice per year. This is me without alot of drive, but still high standards of existence by default. :dry:

ohmygosh, only twice a year is doing great in my book! I do it twice a month. lol



Timeless drops great wisdom! :yes: FUN is a mindset. Live it! :yay:

I think you two are onto something here.


Very true. One of my favorite time management exercises to get into this mindset is to list out 5 things I have to do on my whiteboard, in the order I need to do them. Then I sit down, and aggressively knock out task #1, stand up cross it out, then sit down and nail #2, then cross it out, #3 goes down next, etc.

I can and do do this. Everyday even. I'm lost without my written schedule. The problem is, I never schedule anything fun. It's only work that I schedule. Not sure why. :huh:


Mmm. That's a good question. Well, here is what works for me: given that work basically almost never ends (supposing you need to work to earn money to survive etc.), I plan when I want to play. Nothing detailed (that would take away the fun). Monday morning, I'll say "Wednesday morning I'll do activity X that I like". I try to keep it short-term, otherwise it would feel like an obligation; this way, instead, I'm able to look forward to it without obsessing about its execution. Obviously, you need a flexible work schedule, otherwise this kind of planning is harder to execute.

I have work deadlines so it's not that flexible but this is a great idea. I want to figure out a way to implement it. Do you ever have trouble sticking to your schedule though? That's my problem. *sigh*

This is something I seem to do naturally. Work, play, vegitate!

Nice. :)

If only your job is fun or even almost entertaining..

@OP

get a better job.

Why? It doesn't bother me much that work is not fun. I just want to learn how to balance them both.
 

FDG

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I have work deadlines so it's not that flexible but this is a great idea. I want to figure out a way to implement it. Do you ever have trouble sticking to your schedule though? That's my problem. *sigh*

Eheh well I generally don't because...the play part is fun, right? If you perceive it as an obligation, then sticking becomes an issue. Are these activities that require you to spend a lot of energy? Sometimes that's the problem; I usually just try to keep in mind two alternatives: a high-energy one, if I'm in an energetic mood; a more low-key activity if I'm feeling relaxed/tired/whatever

As far as deadlines go: I personally find that when I have had my share of "fun" I can spend 12 hours straight working and don't feel bad for it, so I suppose in some ways it amps up my productivity (downside: if it was a really high-energy activity, I might just be too tired to function well). I also find that usually one morning doesn't make a big difference...
 

Timeless

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I don't understand. Do tell more!
Personally, I don't believe in "having fun at 14:00 hours sharp on the dot" as if our mood can change at a predetermined time for a specified duration.

Sure, you can balance your activities of working 9 to 5, and playing night baseball or whatever and that's perfectly fine, but the "work" mood doesn't have to tag a long. It doesn't even have to be there. It's like Halla said, it's a mindset you can with you all day long, or a tie you can put on. Most people kick themselves in the ass and treat it as a "treat."

Why not have fun with what you're doing already?

You may say (at work) there is nothing fun, to be playful with, or happy about, but maybe you just have been overlooking certain things.

This is why even at a full-blown circus with colors, action, and elephants one man can be totally bored, and one can be in la-la land. In a desert, one can be stressed out, one can notice the freedom and dance.

The environment remains the same, the outlook on it is always different.

What do you want your outlook to be?

:)
 

Giggly

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Hmm, you make a good point, Timeless. I've never thought of it that way before.
 

Asterion

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I used to try the halla method to study, but it didn't work out all that well. Then I tried 'just do it' and studied like a robot with no breaks, needless to say, that didn't work. Then I started taking breaks, I'd work my but off for a while, then I'd stop, eat something, run somewhere, talk to people, generally do whatever I want, for just 10 minutes, then I get back to work. If you want to really play, you play in your dedicated play time (afternoons, weekends - I often have to work through them lol)
 

Fluffywolf

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The best thing I did in life so far on a personal level was find some play in work.
 

speculative

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Trunk says that for people with careers, "work/life balance" is a myth. You are always on the job, even at 2am in the morning. People with jobs (not careers) are probably not in a position to worry about it... Tough question in this economy, is anyone in a position to worry about it?
 

Little Laura

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Ugh! Story of my life. I also am all work or all play! Which results in me either work 60 hour weeks or partying for 4 days in a row. Ugh! So either I am really successul or a failure.
I have learned that the best thing that works for me is to set goals. If I accomplish something that needs to get done...then I get to reward myself. Or if I am working on school stuff...if I finish the section I am reading I can stop and read a chapter of a fun book. I find that when I am having fun that I sometimes feel guilty because I should be doing something productive instead, but I have also learned that I am more productive after I blow off some steam by having fun because I can focus more when I get back (as opposed to trying to plunge through something and getting burned out). Its all a balancing act of finding what works best for you!
 
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