| By Cristina Scalzo |
Thanksgiving weekend, dead and finals week, and now the much anticipated winter break; we are on the cusp of finally getting the rest and sleep we need. We are free from the constant obligations of classes, exams, clubs, and homework. What makes us so desperate for these breaks is our inability to balance work, school, and our personal well-being.
With the time you have during winter break, we encourage you to take a look at your work-life balance and ask yourself some important questions.
Do I love what I do?
Whether it may be your major, internship, or job, make sure you love doing it or that it will help lead you to achieve something you love. Many people feel stuck in a major or job because they think there is nothing else out there. This is simply not true! Although switching majors or jobs can seem daunting, there are plenty of ways to make it work. At the Career Center, we have resources to help specifically in these areas (the O*Net Interest Profiler, job search counseling, etc.). So do not get stuck in the bad habit of dreading what you are spending the majority of your time doing. Make a change.
Do I protect my personal time?
If you are anything like me, I struggle to build in personal down time daily. It seems that with everything there is to do, not one minute should be “wasted”. However, the inability to have personal time leads to what many employers call “burn-out”. Working too hard for too long without breaks can cause you to become less interested and productive in whatever it is you are doing. There is the chance that even if you are doing something you love, you can burn out if you do not take some time to relax. To be the best you can be it is important to have personal time.
Do I manage my technology wisely?
Even when we leave our jobs and head home (whether it be to the dorms or off campus) it can be difficult to escape work and class demands. With technology always at our finger tips, there is this expectation that employers (and professors) can get ahold of you at any time of the day and that you will respond promptly. Although it is important to be swift in your responses, always being plugged in can erode your life. Set time aside to do email or check texts. Make it known to your employer that there will be times in the day when you will be “unplugged” from your technology so they can know ahead of time not to expect an immediate response. This frees you to live in the moment without work obligations.
Balancing work and life can be a difficult task, but acknowledging that there are ways to help is a good step. So set aside some personal time and reflect on the three above questions.
Have a good break!
Do what you love, take time for yourself, and unplug once in a while!
For additional reading on work-life balance, check out this awesome article by Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2014/03/manage-your-work-manage-your-life