Question

Work-life balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress
Finding work-life balance in today’s frenetically paced world is no simple task.
Spend more time at work than at home, and you miss out on a rewarding personal life. Then again, when you face challenges in your personal life, such as caring for an aging parent or coping with marital problems, concentrating on your job can be difficult.
Whether the problem is too much focus on work or too little, when your work life and your personal life feel out of balance, stress — along with its harmful effects — is the result.
The good news is that you can take control of your work-life balance — and give yourself the time to do the things that are most important to you. The first step is to recognize how the world of work has changed. Then you can evaluate your relationship to work and apply some specific strategies for striking a healthier balance.
How work invades your personal life
There was a time when employees showed up for work Monday through Friday and worked eight- to nine-hour days. The boundaries between work and home were fairly clear then. But the world has changed and, unfortunately, the boundaries have blurred for many workers. Here’s why:
●Global economy. As more skilled workers enter the global labor market and companies outsource or move more jobs to reduce labor costs, people feel pressured to work longer and produce more just to protect their jobs.
●International business. Work continues around the world 24 hours a day for some people. If you work in an international organization, you might be on call around the clock for troubleshooting or consulting.
●Advanced communication technology. Many people now have the ability to work anywhere — from their home, from their car and even on vacation. And some managers expect this.
●Longer hours. Employers commonly ask employees to work longer hours than they’re scheduled. Often, overtime is mandatory. If you hope to move up the career ladder, you may find yourself regularly working more than 40 hours a week to achieve and exceed expectations.
●Changes in family roles. Today’s married worker is typically part of a dual-career couple, which makes it difficult to find time to meet commitments to family, friends and community.
Married to your work
It can be tempting to rack up the hours at work — especially if you’re trying to earn a promotion or some extra money for a child’s education or a dream vacation. For others, working more hours feels necessary in order to manage the workload.
But if you’re spending most of your time at work, your home life will likely pay the price. Consider the pros and cons of working extra hours on your work-life balance:
●Fatigue. Your ability to think and your eye-hand coordination decrease when you’re tired. This means you’re less productive and may make more mistakes. These mistakes can lead to injury or rework and negatively impact your professional reputation.
●Family. You may miss out on important events, such as your child’s first bike ride, your father’s 60th birthday or your high-school reunion. Missing out on important milestones may harm relationships with your loved ones.
●Friends. Trusted friends are a key part of your support system. But if you’re spending time at the office instead of with them, you’ll find it difficult to nurture those friendships.
●Expectations. If you regularly work extra hours, you may be given more responsibility. This could create a never-ending and increasing cycle, causing more concerns and challenges.
Sometimes working overtime is important. If you work for a company that requires mandatory overtime, you won’t be able to avoid it, but you can learn to manage it. Most importantly, say no when you’re too tired, when it’s affecting your health or when you have crucial family obligations.
Striking the best work-life balance
For most people, juggling the demands of career and personal life is an ongoing challenge. With so many demands on your time — from overtime to family obligations — it can feel difficult to strike this balance. The goal is to make time for the activities that are the most important to you.
Here are some ideas to help you find the balance that’s best for you:
●Learn to say no. Whether it’s a co-worker asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child’s teacher asking you to manage the class play, remember that it’s OK to respectfully say no. When you quit doing the things you only do out of guilt or a false sense of obligation, you’ll make more room in your life for the activities that are meaningful to you and bring you joy.
●Leave work at work. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. When with your family, for instance, turn off your cell phone and put away your laptop computer.
●Manage your time. Organize household tasks efficiently. Do one or two loads of laundry every day, rather than saving it all for your day off. A weekly family calendar of important dates and a daily list of to-dos will help you avoid deadline panic. If your employer offers a course in time management, sign up for it.
●Get enough sleep. There’s nothing as stressful and potentially dangerous as working when you’re sleep-deprived. Not only is your productivity affected, but also you can make costly mistakes. You may then have to work even more hours to make up for these mistakes.
●Communicate clearly. Limit time-consuming misunderstandings by communicating clearly and listening carefully. Take notes if necessary.
●Nurture yourself. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as walking, working out or listening to music.
●Set aside one night each week for recreation. Take the phone off the hook, power down the computer and turn off the TV. Discover activities you can do with your partner, family or friends, such as playing golf, fishing or canoeing. Making time for activities you enjoy will rejuvenate you.
Remember, striking a work-life balance isn’t a one-shot deal. Creating balance in your life is a continuous process. Balance doesn’t mean doing everything. Examine your priorities and set boundaries. Be firm in what you can and cannot do. Only you can restore harmony to your lifestyle.
【小题1】What will happen if you’re spending most of your time at work?

A．You might lose all your friends.

B．You will lose both health and wealth.

C．You perhaps be given more responsibility.

D．You may be misunderstood by your loved ones.

【小题2】According to the passage, you’d better say no to mandatory overtime when ___________.

A．you get bored with the work

B．you are not interested in the work

C．you can’t get additional allowance

D．you have crucial family obligations

【小题3】What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．To do things people ask you to do can bring you a lot of joy.

B．You should do the things people ask you to do without feeling guilty.

C．You shouldn’t do the things people ask you to do if you don’t want to.

D．To do things for yourself is more meaningful than to do things for others.

【小题4】What will not happen if you don’t get enough sleep?

A．You can make costly mistakes.

B．You will have low productivity.

C．You will feel stressed while working.

D．You will have no sense of exhaustion.

【小题5】What does the real balance mean according to the author?

A．Being firm that working overtime will strike a work-life balance.

B．Examining priorities and deciding what is the most important to you.

C．Trying to carrying out everything you want to do whether you can do it or not.

D．Being cautious when saying no to somebody in a bid to maintain fine relationships.

Answer 1

【小题1】C
【小题2】D
【小题3】C
【小题4】D
【小题5】B 

解析试题分析：如果你的工作占用了你大部分时间，那么你就没有足够的时间来享受生活。文章提到了过度工作会使你疲劳并导致效率低下;过度工作还会占用你与家人和朋友团聚的时间,重要的是做出正确的判断和决定，判断哪些事情比较紧急，决定哪些事情对你来说是最重要的。
【小题1】细节题：从Married to your work小标题下列举的过度工作可能给自己和家人或朋友带来的影响可知，文章提到了过度工作会使你疲劳并导致效率低下;过度工作还会占用你与家人和朋友团聚的时间而使亲情、友情受到影响;过度工作还会使你深陷工作泥潭以至于你肩上的担子越压越重。选C
【小题2】参见Married to your work小标题下“Most importantly, say no when you’re too tired, when it’s affecting your health or when you have crucial family obligations.”一句可知，当你遇到如下三种情况的时候要对加班说“不”：太累了;影响到你的健康;有至关重要的家事。选D
【小题3】细节题：参见Striking the best work-life balance小标题下画线一句可知，作者是在建议大家学会说“不”，当别人让你帮助做某事的时候，你如果不想做，可以礼貌地拒绝，而不要强迫自己去做。选C
【小题4】细节题：参见Striking the best work-life balance小标题下Get enough sleep.一段所讲述的内容可知，如果你睡眠不足，你可能会在工作的时候感觉有压力;你可能会犯错误而因此付出高昂的代价;你的工作效率低下。但是文章中并没有说当你睡眠不足的时候，你就没有疲劳的感觉。选D
【小题5】概括题：纵观全文可知，本文作者认为，做出正确的判断和决定，判断哪些事情比较紧急，决定哪些事情对你来说是最重要的。选B 
考点：考查日常生活类短文