HBR Guide to Work-Life Balance

by Harvard Business Review

Overview

Stop running on empty.

Every day you juggle the many components that fill your life. Between work and family commitments, volunteer work, hobbies, and managing your physical and mental health, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and that you’re letting someone down or neglecting some aspect of your life. But you can find ways to honor all of your commitments without collapsing.

The HBR Guide to Work-Life Balance will help you:

• Evaluate and adjust your priorities
• Manage expectations
• Set and spend your time budget
• Make plans—and backup plans
• Understand how to make trade-offs
• Prioritize self-care
• Discover what works for you

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633697126
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Series:	HBR Guide Series
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,004,717
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, 13 international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.

Author social media/website info: hbr.org

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Section 1 Take Stock

1 Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life 7

Integrate the four domains of your life: work, home, community, self Stewart D. Friedman

2 Assessment: Are You Focusing on What's Important to You? 33

Where are you actually spending your time and attention? Stewart D. Friedman

Section 2 Make Decisions and Manage Your Time

3 No, You Can't Have It All 41

A framework for managing your toughest trade-offs Eric C. Sinoway

4 Make Room in Your Work Life for the Rest of Your Self 53

Manage your portfolio of identities Brianna Caza Lakshmi Ramarajan Erin Reid Stephanie Creary

5 Before You Agree to Take on New Work, Ask Three Questions 63

Shed your "shoulds." Regan Walsh

6 Stop Work Overload by Setting These Boundaries 73

Create a time budget and reclaim your life Elizabeth Grace Saunders

7 Nine Practices to Help You Say No 83

Part of saying yes to the right things is learning to say no Peter Bregman

8 Why You Need an Untouchable Day Every Week 89

And how to get one Neil Pasricha

9 How to Get the Most Out of a Day Off 95

Take a micro-vacation with lasting benefits Elizabeth Grace Saunders

Section 3 Explore Flexible Work Arrangements

10 Winning Support for Flexible Work 103

Propose a schedule that benefits everyone Amy Gallo

11 Five Strategies of Successful Part-Time Work 111

Routines and rituals are key Vivien Corwin Thomas B. Lawrence Peter J. Frost

12 Staying Focused When You're Working from Home 131

Set "office hours"-and stick to them Elizabeth Grace Saunders

13 What to Do When a Personal Crisis Is Hurting Your Professional Life 137

From dealing with illness to managing a divorce Amy Gallo

Section 4 Manage Your Relationships

14 Being Too Busy for Friends Won't Help Your Career 147

Success starts with a foundation of strong, stable friendships Neal J. Roese

15 Two-Career Couples Need Long-Term Plans 153

Make arrangements and stay flexible Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

16 Balance Parenting and Work Stress 161

Manage the greatest challenges head-on Daisy Wademan Dowling

17 How Working Parents Can Manage the Demands of School-Age Kids 169

Control the chaos Daisy Wademan Dowling

18 Keep Your Home Life Sane When Work Gets Crazy 177

Communicate with the people who matter most Stewart D. Friedman

Section 5 Take Care of Yourself

19 Six Ways to Weave Self-Care into Your Workday 185

It's not a luxury; it's a job requirement Amy Jen Su

20 The Difference Between Workaholics and Working Long Hours 193

…is about your approach, not about time Lieke Ten Brummelhuis Nancy P. Rothbard

21 How to Forget About Work When You're Not Working 209

Develop new habits Art Markman 209

22 Regular Exercise Is Part of Your Job 215

Work it out Ron Friedman

23 Reclaim Your Commute 221

Five tweaks to try Francesca Gino Bradley Staats Jon Jachimowicz Julia Lee Jochen Menges

24 Get Better Sleep 231

How you spend the last 10 minutes of your day matters Ron Friedman

25 Don't Take a Bad Day Home with You 237

Leave on a high note John Baldoni

Index 239