It is safe to say working life is very different to what it was a few decades ago. Gone was the time you could start work early in the day, knock off late afternoon, and still have enough time to attend to your personal life after. With technology, like smart phones and laptops, now a mainstay in our lives the boundaries for most of us between work and personal life has become blurred. It is now up to you to take control of your life and work out how to create a balance to maintain your health and mental wellbeing. In most cases it is a personal issue to figure out how to define the boundaries you want between your work and in your personal life. Five Questions to consider when tackling this issue include:

1) Acknowledge the reality of where you are now, are you happy with the way things are?

2) Decide what role your job plays for you in your life and what boundaries you will and won’t accept anymore. Is your job still compatible with having fulfilled relationships in your personal life? What quality of life are you seeking?

3) What timeframe expectations do you have on making these changes on your balance? We have to be careful to not want to see a drastic change too soon or to hope that you life will begin after you retire. We need to approach the balance in a balanced way. It certainly can be quite scary to realize all the aspects of your life you want fulfilled, and wanting it all done now. Big changes can come from the small things we can change in the right places in our daily life now. For instance waking up earlier in the morning to spend time with your spouse, or having some quiet meditation time to yourself before going to work.

4) Do you just need to reschedule your lifestyle to be happier? We need to be careful to realize that maybe it’s not the work or career that’s the problem, but we actually do not manage our time efficiently to have a fulfilled personal life. Are you missing important appointments such as your partner’s first ultrasound or even an MRI scan you need to get done?

5) Do you need to speak with someone close to you perhaps your spouse to get a better perspective on your needs? Sometimes seeking the help of a counselor ensures you are designing you life in the way that’s actually good for you.