Darling, I'm afraid you're not on my critical path....

Admit it.......  

.....if you ranked the most influential people in your business life how many of you would put your nearest and dearest  within the top ten, the top 20, or even the top 100?  I won't embarrass you by asking you for your answer.

It's strange, isn't it, but we manage to possess incredible short sightedness when we view our business lives despite the fact that the so-called work-life balance has all but disappeared.  The truth is:

• more than ever we have less time to spend with friends and family.
• we spend more time at home working, tap, tap, tapping away on our laptops,  mobiles...
• the boundaries of where we do work have fallen away - office, garden, kitchen, bedroom....
  

So that's life, isn't it? 

"In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king"  Desiderius Erasmus

Rather than accepting this supposedly inevitable outcome, perhaps you might consider Erasmus' words and move in synch with this emerging world but without ostracising those you love.

Why not try to learn to:

• Enjoy your connectedness to work without being a slave to it. When you're in contact, be in contact, when not, don't be.
• Define your work patterns rather than being defined by them.  Agree a work pattern that suits you and acknowledges your engagement in work, at home.
• Allow your family and friends to understand your work life - don't lock them out..share the thrills and spills.

---

Mobilise your personal network

Your family and friends represent a massive wealth of knowledge and experience that you could use more effectively - perhaps even getting them within your top10 influencers.

If you accept the fact that business life has become integrated throughout your waking hours, it makes total sense to:

• Share your thoughts and issues
• Ask their advice
• Develop ideas with them
• Collaborate on opportunities. 

At best this will result in a refreshed perspective that can only improve your workplace performance.  At the very least it will provide them with a better understanding of the world you inhabit even when you are at home.