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September 20, 2007, 12:49 PM ET
5 Ways To Balance IT Work and Real Life
College IT staff members, much like corporate IT officials, are overworked and underfinanced. Sixty-hour work weeks and demands to do more with less are common.
To keep your job from eating up your life, Computerworld this week has come up with tips for maintaining a balance. Here are the top five:
1. Establish and enforce your own priorities. Sometimes that may mean saying no to overtime and promotions.
2. Communicate. Once you set priorities, let your co-workers know about them. Set boundaries so your boss knows when he or she is crossing them.
3. Build a business case for your better life. If you want to telecommute or have flexible hours, show how you can achieve superior job results in that situation.
4. Take advantage of employee programs. If your college offers job-sharing or on-site child care, find out about those options and use them.
5. Seek out a mentor. Find someone in your field who seems to balance work and life nicely. Ask his or her advice about how you can do the same. Maybe even copy what your mentor does.
Some other good ideas are on the list, too, such as not becoming a slave to your gadgets. (Don’t work for your Blackberry; make it work for you.) Over all, follow the time-honored maxim of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Don’t panic. Most college libraries carry a copy of the book. —Josh Fischman
Categories: Leadership
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