Redefining Work-Life Balance
One-Minute Tools to Manage Stress, Achieve More & Enjoy Life Every Day
Too many academics and HR departments have defined work-life balance in superficial ways that make it unattainable, undesirable, or both. Common sense dictates that if something you desire is ill-defined or “impossible,” your outcomes will be disappointing and potentially even harmful. But sadly, common sense hasn’t been common practice.
Redefining Work-Life Balance is about creating life-altering, positive results. These pages convey a way to deliver powerful results using simple, one-minute tools proven to enhance life balance and enjoyment. The outcome is reduced stress, increased achievement, and more joy every day – for the rest of your life!
ABOUT AUTHOR
Jim Bird has consulted with hundreds of companies and coached tens of thousands of individuals to successfully create more achievement, joy, and positive balance in their personal and professional lives. A recognized pioneer in work-life balance he is the founder and CEO of WorkLifeBalance and a regular speaker and author who is frequently cited in major media including the front page of USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the LA Times, Huffington Post and Forbes. Jim’s passion for work-life balance began as a college research project focused on developing know how and tools to excel in building a career and enjoying life’s journey. Growing a startup from three individuals to a team of 250 and generating over $100 million in sales he further refined and developed these tools in the real world. Jim is married with two daughters and lives in Atlanta, GA . He is an avid saltwater fisherman and loves spending his free time fishing the Florida flats.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Discover and enjoy easy-to-learn concepts with practical applications to:
- Avoid the “As soon as…” trap to enjoy life every day
- Establish a ‘Way of Living’ Goal – A powerful tool for crafting how you live on a daily basis
- Accomplish your work-life priorities faster… and with less stress!
- Find a more rewarding and happier balance in all your relationships
- Master the emotion-decision link with your personal emotional management tool
My promise to you is that by applying these proven tools, you will create immediate positive outcomes, personally and professionally. More importantly, based on the feedback I have received across demographics, countries, and cultures, I expect that you too will retain and use your favorite tools along with your re-definition of work-life balance to be happier, less stressed, and more fulfilled over your lifetime.
Let’s turn the page and redefine work-life balance in a way that works for you!
Accolades for Redefining Work-Life Balance
“Jim’s tools really changed the way I approach both my business and personal life. The impact for me was immediate. I find it easier to take on unforeseen challenges and devote more time to tasks that I enjoy. I get much more accomplished in any given day and waste less time. That translates into more time with my family which we all appreciate. Even during my most hectic days these simple tools have made things easier and more manageable.”
Aaron Sisk
President and CEO Magnolia Health Plan
“The tool-set is simple, effective, meaningful…and has the ability to relatively easily become a part of one’s life…and have a life-changing impact.”
Senior Group Manager Shared Services
Top 50 World’s Most Admired Companies
“Great tools! I am amazed at how they have helped me set priorities and stay focused to get so much more accomplished personally and at work. Things I have procrastinated for months tackling are now getting done. I feel more in control and actually enjoy working on my A list!”
Sherry Venable
Director of Operations & – Realty Associates of Atlanta, LLC
“The only tools I know of that combine so effectively the key elements of time, relationship, self and project management. Great results on and off the job. “
Pete Walczuk
Retired Senior Vice President SunTrust Banks
“Reading “Redefining Work-Life Balance”, had an immediate, positive impact on the challenges of managing my work, family and personal goals and objectives. As a CEO, father, grandfather and friend there is the ongoing challenge of managing my time and efforts to be productive while at the same time enjoying the time spent in my business efforts, as well as time with family, friends and as importantly with myself.
The author presents easy and simple to use tools that have already impacted the quality of my results in those areas. I can realistically relate to the examples he uses to reinforce the tools and their effectiveness. This book is a keeper for me, meaning; I’ve read numerous businesses, self-help and time management books throughout my adult life. Only a few have been kept on the shelf as a go to reference and reminder. This book has earned a spot.
Dave Ferenchick
Partner – AAAA Driving Academy
“Having just read “Redefining Work-Life Balance”, I am feeling renewed energy! Being a female, I always thought I was organized and focused. The book has helped me realize there is so much more than just being organized and working hard every day to accomplish things. I am also a list person, but WIN- write it now on a specific date, makes it happen more quickly.
WIN is just one of his many steps to help get organized and achieve your goals. His four quadrants of Work, Family, Friends/Community, and Self help to understand how important whole life is and all parts need to work together.
The book is well organized and easy to follow. I would get so excited about the next step, I could not stop reading. At the end of each chapter he summarizes so you have it repeated to remind you of what you wanted to remember!
The thing that was really interesting to me was that it applies to all no matter where you are in life. At first I thought it would be for young people just getting started with their life and work career. But, the more I read and tested some of his concepts the more I realized I was not stressing over things that would normally stress me.
I plan to share this book with friends and family of all ages. I will suggest they read it and start to use his concepts.”
Marcia McCarley
Owner Blaze Enterprise
“Jim provides tools to be more effective and to manage balance objectively. We have sustainably moved the needle and changed our culture along the way. We are delivering more, our people are better off, and our organization’s health has improved.”
Director of Finance
Top 5 Companies World’s Most Respected Brands
“LD Wholesale, a division of Loan Depot, recently held our National Sales Meeting. We were fortunate to have had Jim as our featured speaker/ trainer/ motivator/ life coach all wrapped up in one package! He offered great tools and insight for our high achieving Sales professionals for both business and personal benefit. I would highly recommend Jim for your next meeting. His content and delivery was a great investment for our Company and was greatly appreciated by our employees.!”
Jack O’Brien
VP East – Loan Depot
LAFARGE GETS MORE DONE WITH LESS THROUGH TRAINING
A world leader in building materials takes the next step in Work and Life Training.
Situation
Lafarge’s operations have the urgent demands and stresses of the deadline driven construction business. When Pete Turco took over as head of HR in the Midwest he became aware of the work-life balance concerns of its managers and employees. There were two key needs. One was to address the constant demand on every individual to do more with less on the job. The second, the desire of Lafarge to grow as an employer of choice everywhere it operates, required more recognition of people’s family and personal lives. After Pete made the rest of the executive team aware of the bottom line value of better managing these challenges, the Business Unit (BU) president came to Pete, and said, “We’ve recognized the importance. Now give us some tools to do something about it.”
Progress
Given these objectives, a member of his staff did the research and presented Pete with several options. “It became very clear that WorkLifeBalance.com had the best tools…and that’s what we were looking for”, Pete states. “Specific skills people could and would use in their everyday lives.” The availability of not only live training, but also web-based and the monthly newsletter proved to be a big plus. “We were able to introduce the program in a relatively low key manner on the web, while still getting immediate and ongoing impact in multiple ways.”
Results
As word of the program spread, other regions expressed interest. When Pete took over responsibilities for the US East Business Unit (BU), he expanded the impact of the training. There was interest from sales management in improving everyone’s time management skills for their job and for their life. WLB’s 5 Steps to Better Time Management program fit that dual purpose, work and life-learning objective.
Lafarge delivered these time management skills with a blended learning approach: live sessions followed by web-based training. All of the senior BU team attended the training. The results were impressive. 100% recommended expanding the program within Lafarge. All written feedback rated the results as either Excellent or Outstanding. “And the individual feedback was even more impressive than the written”, says Mike Kanlic, Lafarge sales manager. “The results are so worthwhile, it is very easy to support.”
Pete recommended internal trainer certification as a way to expand the program for the rest of sales, distribution, BU staff and manufacturing. Despite beginning a cost cutting campaign, Joe Goss, president of the BU, had a four letter response: “ASAP”. Lafarge now has five WLB certified internal trainers delivering 5 Steps to Better Time Management to all managers and employees in the US East BU.
“The ongoing blended learning makes the skill set stick. It has become a common language we continue to use to get things done. You hear and see the tools applied in every meeting”, Turco says. “They have become part of the fabric of how we do business.”
Advice
Pete points out that organizations hire people not employees. People come with baggage, meaning family-friends-self desires and demands.”WLB’s time management training gives managers and employees the skills they need to manage and balance it all. More efficiency in handling work issues individually; A common language for the team to get things done faster; Better abilities to handle and make the most of the personal sides of life, which means more focus at work. The result”, Pete says, “is more achievement and enjoyment in all the areas of life. Everybody wins.”
ABOUT WorkLifeBalance.com
We help you deliver the training results you’ve always wanted…then make those results last over a lifetime. To learn how WorkLifeBalance.com can help your company, call us at 877-644-0064 or visit www.WorkLifeBalance.com.