Audrey Morrison-Greet, Author at Partnership for Growth

Five strategies for a healthy work-life balance

Are you among the 52% of employees in Australia who think their work-life balance is average or downright poor? According to recent data from Employment Hero’s Wellness Report 2022, there are a lot of us who are struggling to maintain a healthy balance and are feeling the effects of burnout and chronic stress as a result.

Work-life balance is more than a buzzword—it’s a pivotal factor influencing career contentment and overall life satisfaction. Improving your work-life balance can positively affect your mental health, relationships, and even your job performance.

But let’s face it, if fixing the problem were simple, so many of us wouldn’t be suffering. And what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why it’s important to tackle the issue from different angles and keep experimenting with strategies until you find what works for you.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Time Management
Use tools like calendar apps and schedulers to organise tasks efficiently. Be discerning about taking on tasks, prioritising essential ones. Actively schedule regular breaks throughout your day to help you recharge and reset.

Prioritise Health and Well-being
Finding the time to cook more nutritious meals, exercise regularly, and get seven to eight hours of sleep every night may seem challenging. But if you invest in your physical health, you’ll be more energetic and resilient, making it easier to manage stress and pressure at work.

Set Boundaries
If you feel like the work is never ending and you’re constantly taking on more than you can handle, then it’s important to set boundaries around work. Identify tasks that fall outside your job description, those you can delegate, and learn how to properly prioritise the rest.

Plan for Downtime
In the pursuit of excellence, employees often sacrifice downtime, believing it will enhance productivity and demonstrate commitment. However, prioritising rest and making time for your hobbies isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Try setting a consistent finish time at work and sticking to it.

Nurture Positive Working Relationships
Try getting to know your colleagues personally while maintaining professional boundaries. Creating an environment of mutual trust and respect not only minimises workplace conflicts but also improves communication, support, and cooperation among colleagues. Plus, the better you get along with the people you work with, the more you enjoy your work day.

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is a journey, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you find yourself struggling or need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Tomorrows are not promised!

Over the weekend whilst i was preparing this post. I heard about the tragic deaths of 4 children whilst out on their bikes killed by a drunk driver. Prior to that before hearing the news of the helicopter crash that killed 9 people including children & basket ball legend Kobi Bryant and his daughter of 13yrs.

Young lives gone just like that.

It almost didn’t feel right to continue with this post as i reflected on the trauma and emotional pain those families are going through.

However it also made me feel that now is the time to set your intentions for this year and not put it off for another week or a couple of months but to do it now.

What often gets in the way of not getting your stuff done i believe is 3 things – Fear, Procrastination and Perfection.

Let’s look at perfection. “Perfectionism is the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection” striving to achieve this standard however can often leave you feeling frustrated and anxious that you’re not good enough whether it’s at work or even socially.

You’re normally the one setting that bar based on various things social media, family, work pressures or strongly held beliefs. Laced with the fear of not wanting to be judged drives the perfectionism and so the loop continues.

Perfectionism can stop you from taking that first step towards what you want whether it’s completing a task or even starting it – because your mind tells you if it ain’t perfect I’m not going to do it or even attempt it. And if you finally get around to doing it takes forever and your never satisfied.

Imagine if you can put your perfectionist tendencies inside a box and label it “wait there not to be opened” and then get on with the business of living by taking imperfect action daily? I’m sure this will move you in the direction you want to go a lot sooner and quicker than perfection will ever take you. Kobi Bryant was by no means a perfect being far from it, however he’s a good example of keeping on despite his many failures and became a forceful leader in his life and his community. Those children were fearless in taking action daily without hesitation in their pursuit of joy!

I watched the news interview of the father in shock lovingly describing his children’s personalities and how ironically they were on their way to play as a tribute to Kobi.

His words “make sure you love your loved ones because you don’t know….”

Tomorrows are not promised so don’t let perfectionism rob you of that.

What are you saying YES to?

In my last news I talked about protecting your time and space and not feeling guilty that you’re letting someone down if you said no once in a while. So this month it’s about what you say YES to. Sunday evening I had the opportunity to see Zadie Smith (a well known writer) speak at the Opera House – one of the things that resonated – was when she talked about her ‘time’ that even reading a book leisurely was shrinking due to the constant demands on our attention which has become a commodity.

So choosing yes to what matters to you is just as important as saying no for example;

1. Saying YES to work that is fulfilling (if you are fortunate enough to have that opportunity) if not can you identify it?

2. Saying YES to changing your lifestyle for the better, whether it’s going to bed early, starting that exercise regime or realising that you really enjoyed that conversation with a friend or family member and you want more of it.

3. Saying YES to listening to more music, dancing like you mean it.

4. Saying YES to something that you believe in or indeed to reading that a book!

So essentially saying YES in a way that serves you and your community.

The silly season is upon us If you feel a tendency to say YES to everything, go for it – if it makes you happy.

No guilt either way if it’s not who you are and you’ve chosen not to partake. Exercise your choices with care and confidence because you do have that choice. (Remember, many don’t)

So for the rest of November make it a “what am I saying YES to month” that is definitely going to set you up in a good way heading towards the end of the year.

And lastly, remember what you are saying YES to means you are also saying NO to something else and that’s ok too.

Don’t set a single goal without this

Welcome back to a new decade. I hope everyone is ok and that your family and friends have not been affected too much by the bushfires.

Over the holidays I watched an interview with Greta Thunberg’s father. He described his daughter as very unhappy and depressed after learning about the future of the earth with regards to climate changes. At that time she stopped attending school she refused to speak and became quite unwell.

She wanted to make a difference and speak out about how she felt – much to the anguish of her parents who didn’t want her to put herself “out there”. Naturally fearing the worse particularly with her regards to her fragile mental health.

What they didn’t bargain for was Greta’s activism gave her back her ‘life’ and ‘purpose’ goals to achieve and a future to fight for. And It is this strong sense of purpose that drives her as the young person we see today.

Her father now describes a very different person to the one above in my opening paragraph. In a twist of irony far from becoming more disturbed and depressed (particularly with the negative attention she has been receiving)

Greta has flourished and has become a “normal” teenager again one who wants to learn attend school and enjoy life.

So what’s the lesson here as we enter a new decade – Jan has become the goal setting resolution month – only to be broken again by the end of Feb!!!

If you’re intent on setting goals please do so with a purpose – ‘Start with a Why’ why are you setting them?

Setting goals that has no meaning or purpose makes you less inclined to want to achieve them.

Therefore my invitation to you is this; don’t set goals unless you have a reason and a purpose that it is tangible and bigger than your everyday.

Hello Christmas – we meet again

I must admit I’m one of those people who actually like Christmas – yes the commercialism of it all irks me as does the obscene amount of spending for just one day – always leaves me feeling guilty. Yet still i indulge.

What I like most is the idea of being ‘forced’ to ‘stop’ down tools and just be still reflecting on the outgoing year or decade which is a big deal.

I am also aware that this time of year can be the loneliest for individuals who have no one thinking about them or to spend time with. It can also be fraught with navigating difficult family relationships particularly if you’ve ‘successfully’ avoided them all year.

So what does this time of year mean to you? How can you make the holiday season more enjoyable and meaningful? Here are 6 suggestions!

1) The gift of giving doesn’t have to be an expensive foray – the giving of your time whether it’s a phone call, (yes i said it a phone call) or popping around to see someone you’ve been meaning to. Or paying attention to a person you care about emotionally.

As you know time is finite you cannot ‘purchase’ more than 24hrs but you can give some of it away to someone in need.

2) Consider inviting someone to share an experience with you, something completely out of their comfort zone e.g helping out in a community kitchen or garden, spending time walking with a group of people that you would not consider ‘their type’. With the hope that they might enjoy it and make it thing to do regularly.

3) Hold a fee paying event at your home and invite a musician or a student artist to perform and donate funds to a charity suggested by your group of friends or neighbours.

4) Have a ‘cook up’ where everyone helps using what you already have in the kitchen and see what you come up with!

5) Hold a Secret Santa with a minimum budget – family members or friends are allowed to re-gift it, to charity with no offence taken or swap it on the day. Be open about it, show gratitude and pass it forward.

6) Finally do nothing at all. Be thankful that you live to see another year and reflect on what 2020 could possibly bring.

All of us here at Partnership for Growth are grateful for your company this year! and we hope that we can inspire you to live an even better 2020 – TAKE CARE BE SAFE see you on the other side!

Celebrate Yourself!

World mental health day is upon us and I’m loving this time of year – the longer evenings as Spring gently descends upon us. I hope you’ve all recovered from the long weekend and the change in daylight saving – I have some tips to share below on keeping that glorious long weekend momentum going, so see you there!

Part of my own well being is learning to say no, not in a mean spirited way but to give myself some space, to reset from constant demands made on my time whether withdrawing from social media for a bit or just having some ‘me’ time pottering at home – I love that word ‘pottering’ definitely of another era.

When my kids were small I was one of those parents as we reached the check out – and all the sweets & lollies lay waiting – my kids would automatically go into ‘Oscar’ performance mode – raging and tantrum-ing as I remained steely faced pushing the trolley pass it with a great big ‘Nope’ written across my face.

It dawned on me back then how easy it was to say ‘no’ to small children – because as the adult you felt completely in control (at least most of the time). Fast forward and I’m finding it increasingly hard to say no to them as young adults particularly when “can i borrow the car, money, house! “ is the only language they seem know.

MENTAL HEALTH TIPs to celebrate yourself this week!

So here goes, this is what I call ‘back to body basics’ – you probably know this already but this is a gentle reminder to be consistent with it (if you can) and you’ll be surprised by the result’s.

If saying ‘no’ is part of your wellness vocabulary this week – go for it! in a kind & compassionate way!

1) Sleep sleep glorious sleep – Good quality sleep is essential for repairing and rejuvenating brain & body. Not enough sleep can lead to you feeling anxious, agitated and even depression.

Find more information on Sleep benefits here.

2) Eat well – in my last blog I linked this to helping the brain with the benefits for the mind and body well researched – remember ‘you are what you eat’ if you saw Maggie Beer on Q&A it even helps with staving off dementia.

3) If you can avoid (excessive) alcohol, smoking and drugs – in excess it depletes the body of essential vitamins such as iron and vitamin B12 which can lower your mood.

4) Exercise & Activity – is essential in maintaining strong mental health – you know when you’ve busted out at the gym, or gone for a good power walk regularly, you naturally feel energised and alert afterwards.

5) Connect with others and try to be sociable – surround yourself with good company – people who’ve got your back! is a must.

6) Giving back by doing thing for others – it can be as little as giving up your seat on the bus – helping someone who needs it up the escalators – to full blown volunteering – do you know, the last time I researched this I read Australia has the highest number of volunteers! how good is that!

7) Lastly ASK for HELP if you are stressed, anxious or just not coping.

Who has your back in your time of need?

On my recent trip overseas I spent some time catching up with family and friends I have known for a long time. I started to ponder the quality of those friendships and what was the ‘glue’ that kept certain friendships going for so long and others not. With certain friends I found myself reverting back to the ‘old girl-friend’ they once knew prior to me leaving home.

Which in reality is really not how I see myself now, I have found those friendships draining and even worse because I engage in it.

Then there were the few friends I could truly be myself with and slip right back in as if I had never left (little treasures I refer to them as). When I first moved to Australia I was naive in not factoring the impact of how lonely I would feel for the familiarity of those treasured friendships in the first few years.

Friendships though are wonderful when it’s good and rich both ways. It also can be draining and not life affirming when it’s not. But guess what? you hang in there ‘duty’ bound by expectations that no longer fit.

Now with family you kind’ve don’t really have a choice… well that’s a box set so I won’t go there for now!

Back on Aussie soil, speaking to a colleague who was suddenly taken ill in the night and had an emergency hospital admission. During her recovery she started to reflect on her ordeal. There were moments of sadness and anger which centered around her ‘close’ friends. Those she expected to rally around didn’t and the ones she wasn’t particularly close to who did.

Which led me to reflect on who really has got my back in my time of need if there is no access to family.

So here are some tips to think about around managing those friendships. (Disclaimer here please, don’t feel you have to go on an immediate friendship culling rampage).

What is your realistic expectation of friends who today are increasingly supplementing your family?
Who would jump out of Facebook and be there for you physically in your time of need?
Out of your numerous social media connections, how many of those are true solid relationships and if so what does that solid relationship look like?

And here’s your challenge for the rest of August:

Tell a potential friend that you care about them and that you think about how they are doing. (And I dare you to NOT do it on social media) 🤔
Push yourself to meet up with a friend/s even if you are busy or tired, you might get some unexpected joy from it.
Be honest, tell your people (you know the ones) that you have nothing to give, because you genuinely have nothing more to give, love them and let them go. (I know this is a tough one)
Social media allows you to cast your friendship net far and wide. Be mindful of those friendships that are there for you all of the time right under your nose. Who you don’t see because you’re busy chasing that ‘mob’ that you think ‘should’ be with.

Remember it’s Ok, we don’t have to be friends with everyone. Cherish those people that have your back, and make sure you have theirs.

It’s Ok, you’ve got another 6 months!

Those of you who are partaking in Dry July, good luck, for those of you not, Merry Christmas in July!

During the last 6 months my wish for you all has generally been to have an awareness of what can get in your way of moving forward towards where you want to be.

So below I have put together a quick revision of that with a gentle reminder that you can push that rock out of the way and keep going. Inhale the future!

In January I talked about a simple review of 2018 – there were some pointy questions to answer which I will include below again as you adapt them to your situation and monitor how you are doing.

In February I gave an outline of one of the therapies I commonly use called ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) essentially its about “getting out of your mind, into your life”. It teaches skills to handle painful thoughts and feelings effectively. I love it because it’s so simple to implement and makes sense!

March was about Procrastination – killer of joy and action – putting off the inevitable until it’s too late. I added a great article on how to overcome it by doing the hard tasks first (contrary to what you may think works)

In April I shared a personal account of a dear friend who lost her battle with cancer and her struggle to put right all those relationships that were important to her but sadly she didn’t make it. So my take away from her legacy was to have those conversations you want to have. Start again because you can create a new beginning. The cliche that life is too short is kind’ve true.

May covered managing work stress and unhappiness there, figuring out what that means for you. Working with different personality types is not always easy.

June was about managing those winter blues with a reminder to be mindful of loneliness creeping in and how to keep it in check besides relying on Netflix. I also shared another great article on how cold weather is good for the brain. This is your time to shine!!

So to keep on track, for the next 6 months here’s a 3 step task to get you going and more focussed on what that might look like:

List 3 goals you want to achieve between now and the end of the year.
List 3 thoughts that pull you away from achieving those goals.
Reflect on those thoughts, park them temporarily and still continue with your goal plan.

If you need help moving that rock or parking those thoughts, please get in touch.

Partnership for Growth Group

Author: Audrey Morrison-Greet