Life Coach Certification—The Harmony In Working And Living

• The harmony in working and living means different things to different people, to me-an entrepreneur with a vision to create health and harmony in homes everywhere through business-it’s very much like being a choir conductor.

Something I struggled with before I took an online life coach certification program was finding a work-life balance. I wanted to be everywhere, doing everything! It took me long enough to realize that I was neglecting myself and my family the quality time they need and as I was helped by my coach back then, I wanted to be someone that helps people find harmony in working and living.

This Article Includes:
What is Work-Life Balance?
Why Is It Important?
Tips for Work-Life Balance

There’s always a lot to do, and every day it seems like it keeps on piling up and it just doesn’t run out! I juggled a lot of responsibilities in my home, business, family, academics, organization, etc. I aimed to succeed in all my endeavors, it’s good but keeping up with this pressure and load of work left me exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed.

I tried to manage everything and everyone; made sure everything is done so well. I did this so nobody will say that I’m not good enough to be doing it all, I wanted to make sure I let nobody down, but the truth is, the effort I had put into everything wore me down, and I did just not admit that I can’t do everything on my own.

The cycle goes on and I started to believe that success and stress must always go hand-in-hand, that stress is a prerequisite of success. I started to fear that if I do not wear myself out, I might lose the success I’ve already had. Then the guilt comes in!

I took this life coach certification program because as I had experienced before, I was so addicted to being overworked that I lost time on what matters— my health, family, the things I love to do, I almost lost my motivation to work too, because of too much stress. Up until I booked a life coach to help me, so now I wanted to be someone that helps people too regarding creating balance for themselves.

I use to have guilt and worry about the impact my work may be having on other people (especially my partner and children). I thought badly of myself when I started thinking about stopping all the work at hand, one because there’s so much more to be done, and the second is that the thought made me feel irresponsible. There is guiltiness as I wished for a little bit of time for myself and maybe a change of scenery.

I made everyone and everything a priority that I forgot to make myself as one too. It even gave me a sense of remorse whenever I think about putting myself first before work, business, family, academics, and social circles.

And when you finally realized that I badly needed a change, I was stuck and didn’t know where to start. To make matters worse, I believed in the perception of others, that I should be proud of everything I’ve achieved and that I really can just achieve anything!

Well for one part we should really be proud of how far we’ve gone, but we should also admit to ourselves, that we’re not some superhero who can always do everything. You must see yourself as a human, you get tired, you get stressed out and it’s totally normal, and even healthy when you admit those things to yourself.

It’s okay if you want to stop doing something for a while or choose not to do a task because you’re tired. It’s okay to feel uneasy and scared and take some time before making decisions and actions. It’s okay to feel furious when you are overwhelmed.

You see, you do not have to always worry that you may not be good enough. It is okay to rest, take some time for yourself. Something I learned from this online life coach certification program is that you have to find balance. Get yourself recharged before taking on and pursuing the responsibilities that you are so consumed of!

What is Work-Life Balance?

When we mention work-life balance we think of it as balancing the time between our personal life and our work, well the keyword is time.

As I wanted to become a certified life coach, one of the things I learned was this common misconception about work-life balance and how people think it is mostly just about time management. But contrary to this common misconception, finding harmony in living and working is not about time management, but more of creating “more” time!

You may hear and read about so many so-called work-life balance solutions revolving around managing your time like adopting productivity hacks (to be more productive with your time), and creating a more flexible work schedule (so that you can spend more time at home – even if working).

But a real balanced lifestyle is more likely depicted and associated with the following:

• Being able to create a great influence with your work and in the world but not at the expense of your health or happiness
• Having a positive impact on your kids or your family’s lives,
• Being present and aware of the moment,
• Prioritizing what’s important to you (especially taking care of yourself) without guilt, shame, or apology,
• Having strong boundaries that you feel good and comfortable about enforcing, and
• Letting go of the mindset that you can do everything by yourself

Work-life balance can include time management, yes but there is more to it because you have to learn how to not only “insert” activity in your busy schedule but to open up more time in your schedule to cater to quality activities and interactions other than work.

Before we go to how we can create harmony, we first look at its importance.

• Why Is It Important?

Understanding why work-life balance is important is necessary for creating a balanced life. The keyword is “create”. You don’t really “find” balance, you create balance!

In my journey to become a certified life coach, I found it difficult to create something that you don’t understand, therefore, it is imperative to understand the reasons for the importance of finding harmony in one’s work and life. And for you to create this harmony you would have to make a lot of tough choices, the following are just some of it:

• • You have to prioritize the truly important things and drop the rest.
  • You have to take the wheel and take full control and accountability over your career path, and
  • You have to simplify your life.

All of these require courage, mental strength, and resilience (as they’re not easy things to do). To make these tough choices, you’ll want clarity around WHY. It’s what will inspire you to act with courage.

Work-life is for but is not the same for everyone. Men and women want balance lives they only differ on their perspective of how they achieve it.

Women find balance in terms of having and leading meaningful lives while men look at having a balanced life as having time for their priorities and having a great impact on their workplace and for their family. But as you examine it, it almost is the same.

10 Reasons Why Work-Life Balance Is Important

Now that we’ve gotten behind what work-life balance is (and isn’t), and who it’s for, let’s go through the top 10 reasons why work-life balance is important.

Reason #1: Work-Life Balance Teaches you about Enforcing Boundaries

Pursuing a balanced lifestyle involves making tough choices. This is because you have to create and enforce strong personal boundaries – even at work.

This online life coach certification program taught me extensively how boundaries are useful because it keeps you from getting too worn out by your workmates and your employer. You know to yourself that you can only do so much, you can’t really do it all.

Creating strong boundaries can indeed be scary, especially if you are someone that seldomly says “no” to people. Eventually, you would have to learn how to say no; say no without feeling bad about it, or have any without guilt as you say it. It may seem like a hard skill to learn but it can be truly valuable when developed.

Strong boundaries keep you away from workplace stress which is estimated to be the 5th biggest cause of death in the United States. Additionally, a quarter of Americans identify their jobs as their #1 source of stress.

Creating limits to the things that you allow yourself to take part in is one way to teach you that you always have a choice, and work-life balance is ultimately created through your choices.

You have to choose to set a limit for yourself, choose to make time for something, you have to choose to enforce that boundary you have for yourself.

Not having boundaries maybe one of the things that is causing much of your stress. By agreeing to take on more work when you don’t have the capacity or not delegating work that could be delegated, you’re creating more stress for yourself. Here are the choices that you could start making for yourself to relieve a lot of your stress and anxiety:

• Saying no to things that aren’t part of your priorities.
• Delegating as much as can be delegated.
• Choosing to do things that are priorities (and letting go of non-priorities).
• Prioritizing your wellbeing.

The result is a more manageable workload and more time doing the things that are important to you. That’s going to greatly decrease your stress and anxiety levels.

Reason #2: Work-Life Balance Will Help Improve Your Mental Health

Achieving balance makes you more capable of dealing with your negative thoughts and emotions, thus helping improve your mental health. Remember that our brains are not meant to be in a state of constant pressure and stress all the time.

Creating more balance in your life gives you breathing space to think, which allows you to evaluate the subconscious thoughts and actions.

This helps you to better understand your feelings and thoughts and helps you call them out and deal with them instead of just keeping them in until you are full you blow up destructively.

This online life coach certification program taught me how to take control of my thoughts, dealing with my emotions, and think before taking action, and these are just some of the ways that can help us create a more balanced life and help improve our mental health.

Reason #3: Work-Life Balance Can Help Improve Physical Health

Part of creating balance for yourself includes taking care of your physical health. Remember that you have to choose the following:

• Eat healthy meals,
• Reduce the intake of sugar and alcohol,
• Pursue healthy sleeping habits,
• Doing regular exercise.

The thing is, with a busy and demanding career, it truly is hard to keep our body moving. Like most professionals, you are tied to your desk and chair, glued to your monitors, and at night you just slump on the couch because you feel too tired and stressed.

Barely moving, often sitting, and rarely outside. Occasionally you might be coping by using alcohol (which is alright as long as it is done in moderation).

The simple fact is that human beings aren’t meant to sit so much, nor are they meant to be cooped up indoors. You’re meant to stand, move, and get outdoors! That means that achieving balance includes more movement and outdoor activity.

Physical activity, especially doing activities that get your heart rate up, and spending time outdoors generates endorphins, which are hormones that make you feel more positive and good about yourself.

Doing this will help you sleep better, give you more energy, and will give you a more positive outlook.

Reason #4: A Balanced Lifestyle Enhances Your Awareness of the Present

Being present does not just refer to being there physically. You also have to be mentally and emotionally aware. The following are some of the instances that might be signs that you are having a hard time being “presently aware”:

• Your mind feels like it’s always “on”, racing and cluttered with thoughts that can sometimes be difficult to decipher.
• Always thinking about work when with family and friends (which then leads you to constantly check email).
• Worrying about what’s going on in your personal life when trying to work (such as your overflowing laundry, the fight you had with your spouse that morning, or how guilty you feel about not making it to your child’s piano recital the other night).

The good news is that your brain can be trained to be more present and calm through consistent practice of specific mindfulness practices. Doing that is part of how you create a balanced life, and this can be achieved by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness was one of the best things I learned in my pursuit to become a certified life coach.

Mindful awareness will help you to be:

• more attuned to people’s emotions and feelings;
• better at responding to people intuitively (which will positively affect your relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and even clients);
• aware of the good around you (and not just focused on the bad)

Reason #5: Work-Life Balance Improves Your Relationships

You know that you are focusing too much on your work when you see yourself spending less time or quality time with those you love. Of course, it’s pretty difficult to be present and give others your full attention when you are exhausted, overwhelmed, and drained out.

Going through this life coach certification program, I learned how to create high-quality time with myself, family, and friends. Imagine what allotting time for quality interactions will do for your relationships. Additionally, think about how that will affect your outlook (both generally and within your career).

There’s a ripple effect that will help you be more positive about your life, your career, and even your work relationships; this only shows how having a quality connection is your key to happiness!

Connecting with and relating to people isn’t happening enough these days. People are too busy (and allowing technology to get in the way of real human connection).

Having a balanced lifestyle means developing deep connections with other people (and not just family, but colleagues and friends too). You’ll derive more purpose from these connections. And you’ll also feel more connected to your work (in a meaningful way).

Reason #6: A Balanced Lifestyle Increases Engagement At Work

Like the PERMA model, engagement is considered as an ingredient in the pursuit of well-being.

When employees are happy and feel motivated by their job, they’re more likely to be loyal and engaged. Being engaged is about feeling committed to something so that you do your best. Engaged employees are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work.

But (according to Gallup) only about 34% of U.S. workers are engaged. Many employers falsely believe that engagement is created through pressure or incentives. Although this might work (a little) in the short-term, it ultimately creates stress, anxiety, and resentment. That’s not exactly a recipe for long-term engagement or morale.

A less stressed, mentally, and physically healthy employee who feels connected to co-workers is more likely to be motivated to work harder. And that increased motivation means that you’re going to perform at a higher level and be more engaged.

Even better is that increased engagement results in better workplace morale, more accountability, and better communication.

Reason #7: Work-Life Balance Increases Creative Thinking

Our brain needs space to think and is not meant to be constantly bombarded by people, social media, email, phone calls, and texts.

And you NEED time and space for clear, creative thinking.

You must have experience being stuck to a problem because no answer comes. Then an answer magically appears (and you can’t believe you didn’t see it sooner) quickly after you stopped worrying about it. This is the same thing that can happen when we have an unhealthy work-life balance.

Through this online life coach certification program, I learned how creative thinking is impeded when we’re stressed, overwhelmed, and/or anxious. By pursuing balance, our problems become clear and we can achieve creative thinking! Not only creative thinking but also producing better ideas and products!

Reason #8: Balance Makes You More Productive

Everyone wants to be more productive. This was the most common answer when we were asked about why we took this life coach certification program; true enough, this was also the most cited outcome that clients want from coaching.

Time management strategies and productivity hacks are alright but there’s only so much benefit from it. The thing that WILL make you more productive is a better work-life balance.

Why? Because you’ll feel better (both physically and mentally), be more focused and present, and will be able to think more calmly, clearly, and creatively. Plus, you’ll be more motivated to work hard.

With these things, you’re more likely to perform at a higher level because of your balanced lifestyle.

A combination of better physical and mental health + focused and presently aware + being able to think creatively and calmly + motivated to work is the true formula for productivity!

Reason #9: Real Balance Brings Happiness and Fulfillment

One of the big reasons and the importance of a work-life balance is for achieving happiness and fulfillment. Balance is about feeling good about yourself and being in control of your life and career path (these two are both keys to creating happiness for yourself and bringing real meaning to your life).

As you go over the other reasons listed above, you’ll realize that most (if not all) of them will make you feel more positive, happy, and fulfilled.

Like me, I pursued this life coach certification program because I know that I will feel fulfilled if I finished it, and as I come near my goal, I can already feel the happiness, fulfillment, and meaning that comes with it!

Reason #10: Work-Life Balance Brings Higher Levels of Success

If career success is important to you (and you believe that balance is synonymous with settling and anathema to success), then I have good news because. . . Work-life balance will make you more (not less) successful.

There’s a misconception that balance doesn’t work for those who want to be successful. But that’s just not true (and it’s based on a common misconception that work-life balance is about settling for less). Work-life balance is about creating a life of success on YOUR TERMS by:

• prioritizing and focusing on what’s most important to you;
• ensuring your well-being (thereby enabling you to serve others to the best of your ability); and
• being in control of your life.

Tips for Work-Life Balance

In my journey to become a certified life coach, I learned that work-life balance coaching isn’t just about helping one manage their time better or become more efficient and productive to fit more activities in (although I certainly can help you become more organized if that will help).

Although through work-life balance coaching, you can dive deep into what is going on to find the root cause of a poor work-life balance. This can help you identify what stopped you from achieving lasting changes to your work-life balance so far and help you to work out how to make changes to what you do, and to how you think about and approach things, so you can release the stress and guilt and create a happier, more successful work-life balance.

The following are just some of the things that I learned from my online life coach certification program:

• I was able to dig deep to find ways to and make changes to pursue work-life balance to feel happier and less stressed (without letting anyone down)
• Work out what is truly important and focus on it – even though I know that seems impossible right now, as I believe that every single thing that I’m doing feels really important
• I learned to develop my confidence and the initiative to gather needed insights to help stop my procrastination; to help make decisions faster and say no to things more often, so I can be more productive with my time
• I learned to confront the guilt I feel when I put myself first and find ways to let go of that guilt
• I learn to not let having aspects that are “less than perfect” affect my performance of a task
• I learned to specify and prioritize the things that matter for me (and what doesn’t). This gives me new and productive choices on how I will spend my time and energy
• To be confident and courageous in making changes for them in areas of your life that need focus on, and allows improvement of my overall work-life balance

This online life coach certification program has helped me realize the importance of expert support and encouragement on my side, as it makes me keep in check of my progress and makes sure I achieve the changes I want for your own life! With this sense of support, I forget the feeling of being overwhelmed and can now celebrate your new-found change and freedom!

Struggling with work-life balance is a common problem for many of us. We are constantly juggling a lot of responsibilities between work and home. Demanding workloads, family responsibilities, managing friendships, finding “me time”, and squeezing in all those outside interests seems like an impossible goal. If only we have more than 24 hours! But when you look at it, if we had more than 24 would you really be able to do everything? Or will you just spend those extra hours just like how you spent your current 24 hours?

All that causes a poor work-life balance. Our stress level rises and productivity plummets. It’s not easy to find the right work-life balance but hopefully, these five tips will help you and your coaching clients.

1.) Analyze the quality of your work-life balance by answering these questions.

We are often caught in our daily routines and to improve our work-life balance, we should analyze our current situation first. This sets the stage for the next steps. In our online life coach certification program we were asked the following questions which you can also use to analyze yours:

• How many hours do you sleep per night?
• Are you happy with your physical fitness and energy levels?
• Do you find yourself unable to spend enough time with your family?
• Do you delegate work to others or do you feel like you have to do everything on your own?
• Is your work fun, satisfying, and rewarding?
• Do you normally work more than 12 hours per day?

2) Specify clear work-life balance goals

Once you are aware of your current situation you now have to find out what your priorities in life are.

Everyone has their definition of a good work-life balance. You now have to define how you want to live your life. Do you want to allow a certain time for work and focus on your newborn baby? If your current job prevents you from doing that, then maybe you have to find a new job to take that first step towards a better work-life balance.

Try to look at these categories and define how important they are to you, you can try to rank the following according to your level of priority: Career, Money, Relationship, Family & Friends, Health, Fun & Leisure, Home Environment, Personal Growth.

3) Analyze the things that they spend and/or waste their time on. Analyze current activities and identify time wasters

One thing I realized when I started working was how expensive time is. Now that you know your priorities in life it’s time to dig deeper find out how they spend their time during an average week.

Try to outline all your usual daily activities and the estimated time you dedicate to it. Once done the next step would be to take a closer look at all those activities and ask questions like:

• Is the time spent doing it reasonable? (In terms of the result, effect, value for me)
• Is this activity/habit self-imposed or system imposed (someone/thing else makes you do this – family, friends, employer)?

Analyzing current routines and habits helps to identify if they are worth the time spent. Potential time wasters will also be uncovered and can be minimized or eliminated in the next step.

4) Structure your day – Prioritize your to-dos for efficiency and delegation

A great way to work more efficiently and procrastinate less is by making a to-do list. Setting manageable goals for each day and prioritizing them gives us a sense of control.

You should take care of the urgent and important tasks first and before you go to the less important activities. The bigger tasks should be divided into smaller ones to prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.

Try to identify tasks that can be delegated and encourage them to build enough downtime in their schedule. After each activity, there should be at least 5-10 minutes to do something that will recharge their batteries.

Being able to manage the time and structure each day will improve the work-life balance a lot. Once we learn to prioritize and set a timeframe for our daily tasks we spend less time procrastinating. The more productive and effective we work the more time we have left to spend with our family and friends.

5.) Identify the things and people that ‘boosts’ and ‘drains’

Not knowing your booster and drainers is one of the main causes of poor work-life balance. Sometimes we spend a lot of our time on activities and relationships which drain our energy and add no value.

You have to learn to identify those energy drains and limit the time you spend on them. Great examples of energy drains are constantly “keeping up” on social media updates or gossiping with colleagues. While having a great time with friends (even for a short coffee break) or going for a run can be real energy boosters.

You should learn to spend less time with those activities that drain you (or things that do not have any value for you) to be able to allocate that time to incorporate more energy boosters!

Your Next STEP for Creating a Balanced Life

The cited reasons for the importance of a work-life balance are meant to be guides as you try to pursue harmony in your personal and career life, relationships, and interactions.

Now there is only one step for you to start that journey: You only have to let yourself take control of the things you can and letting go of the things that you can’t. This creates an environment where you are less stressed; this healthy mindset is the foundation to:

• letting go of non-priorities,
• building strong boundaries,
• prioritizing properly,
• being more present, and
• creating space for your brain to think creatively (and know what brings true meaning).

Sometimes the people we regularly spend time with can either be huge energy drains or boosters. You have to learn to identify who you spend most of your valuable time with (both in business and personal life) and find out if this person gives or zaps energy and then create an action to improve this relationship.

Balancing work and life isn’t easy but hopefully, these tips will help you in your journey to accomplish