Friday October 2nd 2026
This article has been written by local coach Kate Flory
On a scale from 1 to 7, how ‘in balance’ is your work and life? And what do you need to change to move that score closer to a 7? Not by much, just one score higher, just take a moment to imagine what that could be?
Chances are, there is something you’d either want to stop doing (such as working late), start doing (bit more exercise), or doing more of (time with friends). If you did a poll around the office or with your family and asked them what being in balance looks like for them, you’ll no doubt get very different answers.
We have friends who love meeting up with family and friends any time of the week, and trying to catch up with them can feel like being squeezed in amongst their other commitments. Whereas our family calendar is happily empty, and having more than one thing planned at the weekend is seen as more than enough.
Everyone wants a different balance in their lives, so the key for individuals, families, colleagues and workplaces is to work out ‘what does work-life balance look like for them’.
Sometimes we don’t know we’re out of balance until we reach a critical point of taking on too much of one thing, for the detriment of something else. I hear coaching clients talk about missing their child’s school event due to work commitments, not being able to book holidays because the diary is too full or being too tired to do any exercise when they come home late.
National Work Life Week, running from the 5 th to 9 th October this year, is a reminder to encourage people and companies to focus on how to support more balance and wellbeing at work.
Like most things in life, it’s good to talk. Taking time to talk to your colleagues, manager or family about how you are feeling about your commitments and the pressures you feel is a good starting point. Many organisations are supportive of work-balance and wellbeing initiatives, so taking advantage of this week to revisit what the current concerns and hopes are, is useful.
And if this is concept is new to your company, here is a way to help start the conversation, by first capturing your thoughts and feelings.
Start by capturing – what do you want more of in your life? What do you want to start doing?
Then ask yourself – what do you want less of? What do you want to stop doing?
Finally consider – by doing more or less, what difference would it make? How do you hope to feel differently?
Having a better understanding of what work-life balance means to you, opens up the conversation at home and at work, and gives you some ideas on what you need to change. It’s a simple self-coaching: raising your Awareness, followed by opening up Choices, and moving to committing to Action.
National Work Life Week is a reminder to explore what you need to start, stop and do more of to feel happier and healthier both at work and at home. You don’t have to aim for a 7, just by moving it by one point, what difference would it make to you?
If your company is looking for support on work-life balance and wellbeing, then Kapow Coaching are happy to help as we ‘inspire small radical changes, one conversation at a time’.
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