Signs You've Lost Work/Life Balance

Have you lost work/life balance? Maybe you never had it in the first place. Fortunately, there are some telltale signs that you’ve teetered over the edge. Review the following list and make a mental tally on how many of these apply to you. Hint: If you say “YES” to 5 or more you are probably out of balance whether you realize it or not.

Work Signs You’ve Lost Balance

• You work more hours than your boss
• You always get the best parking spot at work because you are the first one there
• You know the members of the night cleaning crew by name
• You consistently get recognized for your “rigor” and /or others have referred to you as a “machine”
• You have been asked by co-workers “when do you sleep?” and you realize they aren’t kidding
• You talk to your friends and family in work-speak
• You are known by name at the airport and / or the hotels you stay at (extra points if you consider those nice folks who work at the airport and hotels your “friends”)
• You schedule appointments to talk to your friends and family on Outlook, etc… (extra points if you schedule appointments to speak with your spouse)

Family Signs You’ve Lost Balance

• You often greet your children with “you’ve gotten so big since the last time I saw you” (just be sure not to say that to your spouse)
• You’ve worked on holidays during the past year
• You get visibly nervous when you have no cell phone reception
• You didn’t take a vacation over the past year (extra points if you are proud of that)
• It’s been over a year since you’ve seen any of your best friends
• You’ve forgotten at least one important birthday over the last year
• It’s been over 6 months since you were on a date (or had a date-night with your spouse)

Health Signs You’ve Lost Balance

• You typically eat your meals while you work (extra points if you have forgotten to eat a meal at least once over the past month)
• You are at or near your heaviest weight
• You can’t remember the last time you exercised
• You have eaten lunch from a vending machine more than once over the past month (extra points if you bragged about it)
• You sleep less than 6 hours each night on average (extra points if you sleep less than 5 hours a night on average)
• You feel either anxious or depressed more than 50% of the time
• You feel apathetic about most things in your life

There you have it. Signs you’ve lost work/life balance. If you still aren’t sure, when in doubt just ask those closest to you. They’ll tell you the truth if you have the courage to hear the answer. Sometimes, it takes that slap in the face to wake us up to the reality that this isn’t the life we wanted after all.