Work & Life Balance: One Step at a Time

Once upon a time, I wasn't looking forward to the week ahead. This wasn't because I had a feeling of impending doom, the kind you get when you're dreading an upcoming event such as a biopsy or call to a creditor. It felt more like slogging through a morass. The bog didn't contain anything unusual, just extra helpings of the normal stuff: more work hours, projects coming due, long days and a number of social events that should have sounded fun but felt like obligations. Sound familiar? I think we've all had times like this.

This time around, though, I decided to try something new to me. I'd been reading several books, including How to Want What you Have by Timothy Miller (1996) and Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn (2005). Although I'd been dabbling in the practice of Mindfulness for some time, I still had difficulty staying "in the moment" for more than five minutes, and remained skeptical about its ability to address boredom and other low-grade irritations.

But I'd have to get through the week anyway, whether I took a new approach or not. I liked Miller's triad of practices - attention, compassion & gratitude. I made a mental note to check in with myself every hour of each day that week and do the suggested activities. In addition, I decided to try focusing solely on the day I happened to be in, rather than mentally bolting toward the end of the week or the next day off. Again, a challenge.

But something strange began happening when I started to practice the difficult art of staying in the moment. Time (and unpleasant tasks) didn't pass any more quickly; time itself, however, became less important. I stopped noticing so much whether it passed quickly or slowly. When I consciously refrained from attaching an emotional value ("boring" or "hard") to an unpleasant task and just did it, it became, if not easier, at least less stressful.

Mindfulness doesn't guarantee a happily-ever-after, but it can create a more contented now.

Books! Books! Books!

Here are a few books that have been helpful to me in the quest to enhance the experience and meaning of work:

• The Off ice Sutras - exercises for your soul at work by Marcia Menter, 2003.
  
• Awake at Work: 35 practical Buddhist principles for discovering clarity and balance in the midst of work's chaos by Michael Carroll, 2006.
• Work as a Spiritual Practice: A Practical Buddhist Approach to Inner Growth and Satisfaction On the Job by L. Richmond, 2000.
• Take This Job and Love It: how to find fulfillment in any job you do by Matthew Gilbert, 1998
• Work With What You Have: ways to creative and meaningful livelihood by Deborahann Smith, 1999.
  

Each of these books contains numerous suggestions for using the practice of mindfulness on the job. Gilbert's book is especially useful for those in customer service occupations.