The importance of work-life balance

Americans are working now more than ever, and spending more and more time in the office, even on the weekend. A 2014 Gallup Poll found that half of all full-time workers in the United States generally work more than 40 hours a week, and almost forty percent said they put in at least 50 hours each week. As a result, families suffer and we get burnt out. It’s important to keep a balance between work and other obligations in your life, such as family, faith, friends, and even relaxation.

“We can learn so much from people of prior generations … it was so much different because when you stepped away from the workplace, you were truly away from the workplace. Our generation today, we have to be so careful because we are so connected,” says Brother Greg Cellini, a Franciscan Brother of Brooklyn and host of Thank God for Monday, who worked in the corporate world for 30 years prior to becoming a Franciscan brother.

“In 2015, there were over 658 million unused vacation days. And I know myself, being somewhere for 30 years, I let a lot of vacation days go. I tried to go back and ask myself, ‘Why did I do this?’ And unfortunately, it was the sin of pride that got in the way. It was the sin of pride that said I’m indispensable, I can’t get away but for a day or two, the organization needs me too much,” says Br. Cellini.

The mindset we must have when it comes to work is that “none of us are indispensable. Things will move forward just fine without us.” Br. Cellini says that if we have this mindset, it will put a lot less pressure on ourselves, while we’re on vacation, to give into that temptation to answer the emails and the phone.”

 

Lindsey is a wife, mother, and contributing author at Relevant Radio. She holds a degree in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Lindsey enjoys writing, baking, and liturgical living with her young family.