FINDING THAT WORK-LIFE BALANCE
By Jayjay Viray

“Workin' 9 to 5, What a way to make a livin', Barely gettin' by, It's all takin' and no givin' ”
“9-5” By: Dolly Parton

With all the stress surrounding us nowadays, there is a need more than ever to balance, balance, balance everything that is going on in your life.  It is my belief that there is always a need to have an alternative hobby, job or project other than the one that pays you your bread and butter.  I have said this before and I will say it again: the key to success in the workplace stems from this ideal. 

Many a worker now dreams of better things, and last week I wrote about this very problem, the depletion of our manpower resources.  Most people now tend to go abroad to seek out their fortune instead of staying and making their fortune here.  People end up feeling stuck in a rut, and more specifically, in Manila, because they don’t look around and see opportunities surrounding them.  This is where I tend to encourage people find another means of income, especially if they can do something they truly love to do.  And increasingly, in this time where everything is almost gotten instantaneously, it is much easier to follow and pursue one’s multiple interests.

What does this mean?  It does not mean that this alternative job will take time away from your ‘day job’ because based on experience, this can actually enhance your performance in your workplace.  When you are doing something that you are truly interested in, be it a hobby, a passion, a talent, or anything that you do outside the workplace, you tend to do it with joy and pride, and therefore it ends up not being work.  You have a good time with what you do, and earning from it would just be an added bonus and incentive for you to do well and be consistently good.  

For a more concrete example, I personally love to sell things.  I feel that I truly am good at this, it  shows, and all these combine to become a factor in what I consider has been my successes in my chosen profession.  But to keep this talent honed and my interest piqued, I always have to challenge myself with new things or projects that I can flex my selling ‘muscles’ in.  This manifests itself in the different bazaars I join and in a school I’m a part of where we teach English proficiency. 

It is now much more common for people in the corporate world to take on their hobbies full time outside of the office.  Sometimes these two worlds meet.  In my company, there are several musicians in our ranks who have regular gigs after working hours.  Many of them say that this keeps them energized and the change in routine stops burn-out.  As a result, they do not get bored and, when they get to the office, they are ready and more than willing to work.  These two worlds meet when we have a project involving music or music production, and I go to these colleagues of mine for insight of the industry and its workings.

But there are some people who may think this is too much for them to take in or to do in a 24-hour day, which is understandable.  The hobby does not have to be this intense or demanding.  It could be something as simple as the pleasure of baking pastries for your kid’s friends, gardening and planting flowers, or taking up a class to further your studies for yourself. 

In our newest site, 88DB.com, this is what we are trying to advocate, to help people who have that extra something on the side make it a source of income, however small.  It keeps your interests in different things and stops you from being focused on one thing to the point of burn-out.  People tend to become so immersed with what they are doing and can become counterproductive by thinking too much about it.  In the long run, it is not much help to anyone if you are burnt out and at a loss for inspiration and willingness.  

As I’ve mentioned before, the most important resource of a company or establishment is its manpower, the people who work and make the cogs of the wheel work.  But for people to be too focused on something, it also is not healthy.  Go out there and find that interest or hobby that drives you.  It can be anything from reading to playing a sport or drawing.  You’ll never know where the next bolt of inspiration will come from.

[Jayjay Viray is the Country Manager of JobsDB Phils, Inc. For more job opportunities, log on to www.jobsdb.com.ph.  For comments, email feedback@jobsdb.com.ph.]