Linda Duxbury doesn’t need batteries. Her warning is powerful enough on its own: “Only one in five people are able to turn it off.”
A Blackberry will actually make it more difficult for you to find the time to focus on family, says Duxbury, a professor in the Carleton University school of business who specializes in work-life balance.
It isn’t the Blackberry’s fault. It’s a great tool that can help you respond instantly to problems or opportunities. Once you’ve got one, however, the pattern is that you’ll start feeling pressure to be available 24/7, and to be ready to respond in a flash to the next call or e-mail.
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Of course, there’s always a chance that you’re different, and that technology is just what you need to start feeling more in control of your life. But clearly the odds are against you.
How many times a day do we wish we had more time? With the farm, plus looking after the children and elderly parents, keeping the house organized, and volunteering at the hockey rink and numerous other tasks that consume our time — we’re worn out and feeling frazzled.
When we’re busy we tend to let some things go, says stress and wellness expert Beverly Beuremann-King of Little Britain, Ont.
We don’t get enough sleep. We don’t eat right. We cut the fun things out of our lives.
If we operate in this mode too long, our health suffers. We feel the knots in our shoulders and necks. We’re easily frustrated and we lash out at those around us. We may cry easily and not know why. Or we may start suffering high blood pressure, insomnia, and depression, with all their fallouts, including broken relationships and marital breakdown.
Unfortunately, the risks can be even greater on the farm, especially since you’re surrounded by work and unfinished jobs that you seem never to be able to get away from.
On the other hand, though, farming may also offer you valuable flexibility, says Lisa Kivirist, a Wisconsin farmer and co-author of the book, ECOprenuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits. Kivirist traded her 9-5 main-street advertising job in the city for farm life. “I came from a corporate structure where I was told when to do everything,” Kivirist explains. “With farm life I have more control over my time.”
For Kivirist, farming means work-life balance can start by integrating various components. “Because we enjoy what we do, we can blend work and leisure,” she continues. “And when we travel, we can combine business and pleasure.”
For her and her family, Kivirist says priority setting
