Finding balance rejuvinates you and elevates your productivity

Written by Barry Victor, PROS Parts Founder and President

With the holidays upon us, many companies in our industry operating at peak output with additional family obligations stacking up. It is important to remember to keep a balance in your allotment of time and energy between the tasks required of you at work and the activities outside of work that really feed you.  Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a worthy goal for everyone who works from the top-level managers to the staff that make the wheels go round. And – I might add – balance is something we need to think about not just during the holidays.

Having a healthy work/life balance is critical to maintaining mental, physical, and emotional health.  Cultivating a good balance between work and other aspects of your life will make you more productive, creative and innovative.  Balance will help prevent burnout and increase your job satisfaction, and overall happiness.

That said, maintaining a healthy work/life balance is not something that you do once and call a success.  Changing demands on your time, stages of life and other environmental factors will require an adaptive response in order to stay in equilibrium. Creating a balance ‘toolkit’ that you work with on a regular basis helps.

Note that as I think about this topic and write the blog, I realize that I also need to work on balance and take my own advice. It is easier said than done, but truly does make a difference.

Here are a few helpful ideas to help you maintain an optimum balance:

• Learn to prioritize tasks. Many of us have difficulty prioritizing tasks and when this happens the larger important tasks have a way of never getting done. Only you can decide which tasks have the higher priority due to their importance to you and any natural deadlines. Leaving a task you feel is important incomplete can be a great anxiety inducer.

• If you are in a position to delegate responsibilities to others, use this option to free up time to do the more important tasks on your plate. Some of us feel that we are the only ones that can get the job done and while it may be true that we would do it better than someone with less experience, allowing them to step up to the plate could surprise you and will help your teammate grow in their journey towards job satisfaction and happiness.

• Learn to say ‘no.’ Saying ‘no’ is not always easy, but it can be when you have defined your overall goals and thought through the things that bring the biggest value towards meeting those goals. When doing so, there is an agreement on what you can say ‘no’ to and where it is a good use of your time to say ‘yes.’ This gives you permission to reject another assignment and it will be very welcome by those you chose to spend that acquired time with.

• Take time to refuel your gas tank and witness new perspectives. Take a vacation to relax on the beach or immerse yourself in an unfamiliar culture to re-energize yourself and give you a new perspective.  Surround yourself with friends and family and participate in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment.   Take a ‘me’ day and treat yourself to a new experience.

• Evaluate how you feel about your balance on a regular basis. If you are feeling burnt out or just not enthusiastic, adjust the balance to return to a healthy equilibrium.

There is a famous saying that “Nobody at the end of their life wishes they had spent more time at the office.” Work is an important part of life and can be a tremendous source of fulfillment and happiness but it is important to keep it in balance with other ways you spend your time. Spend time with those you love and pursue your passions.

On that note, I am going to sign off and go for a walk with my wife, Katie.

Enjoy a wonderful holiday and remember to take time to relax and rejuvenate.

As always, PROS Parts is here to help you with your laundry and drycleaning equipment parts and supply needs.

About Barry Victor

Barry founded PROS Parts in the spring of 1988. Before starting PROS, Barry worked in the sales and engineering departments of Vic Manufacturing, one of the largest manufacturers of dry cleaning equipment in the U.S. At Vic, Barry launched a parts sales division that supported dry cleaning equipment imported from Italy and Germany. In its early years, PROS manufactured dry cleaning machinery and then evolved into an industrial and commercial laundry equipment and dry cleaning operations parts supplier. Barry lives in Plymouth, MN with his wife. He has two sons, a step son, a step daughter and his dog, Sora. 

Barry can be reached at 763-231-7379 or barryv@prosparts.com.