Balancing work and personal life By Fr. Peter Iwuala

A problem that many of us have in achieving a good balance between work and personal life is primarily the inability to say no. You know you have too much work, but still, you take on more and more duties because you can’t bear to disappoint a colleague who has asked for your help. You need to be able to prioritize your work and occasionally learn to say no to things that will interfere too much with your time. This is not to say that you should not help your colleagues. Although you should use this strategy sparingly, learning to say no is an important skill to acquire. To be able to decide which activities and tasks to allocate the most time to, you will need to use some of the skills such as assertiveness and good planning.

Balancing work and personal life is critical for your mental and physical health, as well as your career’s sustainability and advancement. It is a challenging but worthwhile goal. Start by evaluating your goals and priorities. This can help give your life focus and direction. This can also help you decide where you want to make changes in your life. Ask yourself what the most important things in your life are—things you would not be able to live without. How much time do you devote to these things? Now ask yourself how much time you spend on your career. Are you happy with this? What can you do to change it? By evaluating such things and considering the opportunity costs of your activities (i.e., what you are giving up doing them), you can begin to make decisions about how to best spend your time.

Always keep in mind that a very selfish person can take advantage of your generosity. Be wise!