Written by: Amanda Pierce
Listen | 8.25 min
Our Marketing Specialist, Amanda Pierce, chats with Keith Chech from WFPS 92.1 FM about the struggle of finding a life balance, and how the little things can make a difference.
Read |3 min
A concept many of us strive to perfect, or at the very least, try to accomplish to some degree in hopes to decrease stress and enjoy life a little more. I’ve always wondered what it would be like if I found the perfect balance between work, family, and time for myself. As much as I try, some days I feel like I’m not making much progress. That may be due to the ever-changing environment around me. So I do my best to adapt and reroute. I’ve accepted that I will probably never perfect the balance, but I do my best to go at it every day as though it’s achievable. Some days are better than others...
Then one day I came across an article from Forbes.com that was titled, “It’s Time To Kill The Fantasy That Is Work-Life Balance.”* The author started off by talking about an interview CNN did with Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart said work-life balance didn’t work for her. “It’s one of the most difficult things to do; that balance, which is so elusive to most of us. It didn’t work for me. I thought, ‘Oh, I can do it; I can do all of that.’ I had to sacrifice a marriage because of the lure of a great job… It’s impossible for most of us to get that balance.” I was a bit hesitant to continue to read the rest of the article, as I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this reality check. Denial seemed like an easier route.
Much to my surprise, the reality check didn’t sting quite as bad as I thought it would. The author continued to say that maybe "balance" isn’t the right word. Maybe it’s better described as work-life integration, work-life harmony, or work-life blend; and then stated, “Rather than trying to balance all things all the time, it’s something much more fluid. Some weeks you feel like you’re present in all areas of your life, and other weeks you feel pulled strongly in one direction. Eventually, things level out before it begins again. The idea of balance is an unattainable standard that results in an almost constant feeling of failure".
The author made several interesting points, but the one that I related to the most was about time management. She stated, “Time management is the foundation of seeing your intentions come to life. Without setting aside time to address the things you feel are lacking in your life, it will be hard to make progress.” That statement struck home for me. Like many people, I get so busy at times I’m more worried about putting out the hottest fire first instead of stopping, regrouping, prioritizing, and setting realistic timelines. How can I control my calendar, instead of my calendar controlling me?
I tend to overthink things. So I decided to take a simplistic approach and think about the little things. Our society has many phrases that focus on not discrediting the little things. Phrases like, “It’s the little things in life,” or “Every penny counts”. There’s a chance the little things can make a big difference.
Think about how you do your banking. How many times do you stop at the bank a month? Even if it is just once, from door to door, have you accomplished your task in 10 minutes or less? What happens when you eliminate that extra trip because you can take a picture with your phone and deposit a check? What happens when you don’t have to spend time writing out checks, buying stamps and mailing bills because you use Forreston State Bank’s easy-to-navigate online bill pay?
We know the little things in life can make a big difference. We’d love to chat with you about the time-saving banking features we offer that could help free up some of your time.
*Click here to read the article from Forbes.com.
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