Life balance coaching evaluates stressful demands on a person’s time and helps the client find ways to rebalance priorities. Coaches aim to teach the client ways to deal with unreasonable expectations that create unfulfilled lives. Life balance coaching might be used to equalize work and home life, or to create time for activities that promote a sense of well-being.
Common goals of life balance coaching include more personal time for the person who spends too many hours on work-related duties. Coaches might teach the client to refuse tasks detrimental to his or her mental health. The client might delegate work to subordinates to free up time for family or social events. This technique typically reduces the amount of fatigue associated with a stressful life.
Some styles of life balance coaching center on setting priorities. The client is asked to list all the demands for his or her time, including career, relationships, personal development goals, and health needs. The amount of time devoted to each area is identified, along with how much time each area deserves.
Clients are encouraged to make daily lists of priority tasks and tackle them in order of importance. The list might include chores the client needs to do and items he or she wants to do. Life balancing coaching encourages clients to refuse any request for time that does not appear on the priority list.
Focus on the present represents a typical tool used in life balance coaching. Clients are advised to live in the present to prevent work worries from intruding on family or leisure time. People who obsess about work left at their desks at the end of the day typically experience stress that inhibits enjoyment in other areas of life. These thoughts might also provoke a feeling of inadequacy.
Life balance coaching experts say an unbalanced life leads to fatigue and job burnout. A person might make more mistakes when under stress, which could be fatal in certain occupations, such as the medical field. Symptoms of burnout include a loss of enthusiasm, dissatisfaction with the chosen occupation, inability to focus attention, and sensing an inability to cope.
When life balance coaching proves successful, a person might feel more energetic and become better equipped to handle problems as they surface. Stress might be reduced, leading to fewer errors. Life coaches say personal and professional relationships commonly improve when irritability disappears and the client’s personal, mental, and emotional needs are met.