LIVE, WORK, SHINE

Preface Why I wrote this book During my many years in corporate life, which you will read about in the chapter “My Story,” I have successfully juggled the game of life and work. While at times it hasn’t been easy, I have ensured I’ve stayed true to my values and clear on my priorities. I’ve been a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mum, a friend, a community volunteer and corporate executive. I’ve worked in a number of different organisations and at each one have managed to never be too busy (it’s just not part of my vocabulary). I have never worked long hours, been there for all I have wanted to for my family and friends, maintained good health and fitness and continued to progress in my career. Unfortunately, many people who have worked around me, both more junior, my peers and more senior co-workers have been overwhelmed by the “I’m too busy” epidemic. They have been unable to manage the juggle, often working long hours and sacrificing time for one’s own health and well-being – not to mention valuable time with family and friends. Everyone has an abundance of reasons why they can’t manage their life-work juggle whether that be “the boss expects too much” or “the kids just keep demanding more and more of me.” For a small minority, these reasons are out of one’s control, but for most of us, they are simply excuses. And sure, I too have had my share of excuses at times – I’m not perfect. But for the most part, I have mastered the art of balancing life and work. It doesn’t matter who you are, or the position you hold in your organisation, I feel very confident that you too can create a healthy life-work balance. What I am inviting you to do is to ask yourself some rather tough questions… Are you truly a victim of circumstances or are your circumstances a victim of you? I challenge you that there is a way to manage your circumstances no matter what those circumstances are right now. Where there is a will, there is a way – it is within your reach. If you really want it, you’ll find a way – if you don’t, you’ll find excuses. I have written this book to help you with the life-work juggle and to support a shift in this societal epidemic of being too busy. My goal is to help people maximise their effectiveness, balance their home and work priorities, generate outstanding results and live a happy life. And my hope is that you will be one of these people too. Is this book for you? Are you finding it hard to manage everything you want to do at work and at home? Are you consistently feeling too busy and not sure how to get on top of things? Is this feeling impacting your mental or physical health and your relationships? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then this book is for you. If you have a job, whether that be at the start or end of your career, in junior roles, middle management or senior management, this book is for you. It’s a great resource for you regardless of whether you are an office-based employee, work in a factory, work for yourself or work for an employer. How to use this book Think of this book as a reference guide. Each chapter provides an overview of some big topics – entire books have been written on each of these topics. But in this book, the main principles and the best information has been gleaned from all of that so that you won’t need to spend weeks or months reading lots of time-management books. This book introduces topics around re-shaping your workday and at the end of each chapter there are thought-provoking check-point questions to ask yourself. Then, it suggests some action steps to take in order to make a step change. But step change takes time and you can’t do everything at once. I would suggest that at first, you read the book cover to cover – it’s short so it won’t take that long. Then, reflect on what are your areas of opportunity and what is the number one area that would make the biggest impact on your life. Focus on that one area for a month or more until you have made it a habit. Once you have mastered one area that you choose to work on and do it often enough, so it becomes a habit, then turn to area number two and repeat. Then, do it again with the next area of concern and repeat. For example, if you know that your priority is needing help with how you start your day, focus on your mornings until you establish a good, solid habit. And then, work on the next area that you want to improve. I would also suggest that you find an accountability partner, a friend or work colleague, who can help you stay on track in order to make the required change. Once you start to free time up for yourself, you’ll be amazed at how much better your life will become. You’ll finally have some breathing room to do the things that are the most important to you, and you’ll feel much more in control. How does that sound to you? Sound good? If yes, let’s not waste another precious minute!