May 21/While the challenge of juggling personal and professional demands receives a lot of attention as a parenting issue, the struggle to mesh work and a life outside of it into a fulfilling combination is important to everyone. Whether you're looking for more time to spend with family or friends, pursue educational or fitness goals, or develop a hobby, work/life balance is of interest to all employees.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all way to achieve the best of both worlds. Everyone defines "balance" in her own way, and the definition changes as priorities shift. To some, it can seem like the impossible dream. If your workweek is like that of most professionals, it seems there is more work to do than there is time to do it. Two key aspects to achieving a balance are taking control of your time and finding the right employer. Here are some ideas for establishing your own equilibrium in your personal and professional life:

Take control of your time

Log your activities for a week. Include everything from attending meetings to reading your mail. After a few days of tracking, you should have a better idea of how you spend your days. Conducting this audit will help you determine if you're working smart or if you're wasting time on tasks that don't produce the results you want. For example, you may discover you spend a lot of time sending and reviewing e-mail. In some instances, it might be faster to accomplish what you want with a quick J phone call.

Set priorities and stick to them. Create daily and weekly to-do lists, ranking each task based on its importance. Concentrate your time on those projects at the top of your list. As you review your daily priority list, consider whether you can cluster activities that require similar efforts or resources into the same time frame. For example, if you must schedule several meetings, try to set them up in succession either in the morning or afternoon with a sufficient amount of time in between in case any one of them runs over. Similarly, try setting aside blocks of time to check messages and return phone calls. This will help minimize disruption to your workflow.

Maintain your focus. If you're tackling something that requires concentration writing a report, for example - find a place where you can work in relative peace and quiet, such as a conference room. If you need to stay in your cubicle or office, you can help minimize distractions by letting those around you know you are working on deadline.

Delegate. If you find you're getting bogged down on issues or duties not directly associated with key goals, reassign those less- critical projects to others. You'll free up more time for yourself, while helping less-experienced employees gain new skills. When assigning, take the time up-front to provide clear instructions.

Manage your meetings. Keep scheduled discussions brief and to the point, and stick to the agenda. Help keep meetings focused by not bringing up unrelated topics that can be discussed afterward or those that don't involve the whole group.

Plan defensively. Remember that most of the responsibility for achieving work/life balance rests squarely on your own shoulders. No one else is going to monitor your time for you or consider your other commitments when asking you to do something. You've got to protect your best interests and teach yourself to say "no." Unpredictable scenarios will always occur, but developing a contingency plan for the unexpected will enable you to continue with business as usual in the midst of a crisis.

Ask for help. If you like your current employer, but need more flexibility, perhaps you can negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement. Be sure what you propose is realistic given your job demands. Meet with your boss to discuss your situation. Explain that you have some pressing personal needs that also require attention, but you want to find a reasonable balance. Be careful not to appear demanding.

Find the right employer

While a necessary component in any workplace for striking a satisfactory balance is to effectively manage your time, it's much easier if you already have the support of the firm you work for. If you seek more flexibility then your current employer can offer, you may have to look for it elsewhere. Many companies recognize that work/life balance policies help them attract and retain talented employees. Because these benefits vary widely among organizations, you should conduct as much research as possible before making a job change.

Look for companies known for their family-friendly policies. Major magazines and business journals often rank employers based on their work/life balance programs. You also might consider searching for a part-time position or a job-sharing arrangement.

View balance as a moving target

Although achieving balance between your job and the rest of your life may be your goal, it's actually more helpful to view it as a process. It's something you're always doing - with each decision you make, activity you plan or new responsibility you undertake.

The key is to be flexible. There may be days or weeks when special projects at work keep you there longer, which might require postponement of personal activities until you have a lighter workload. Constant adjustment is an integral aspect of a successful work/life balance.

It is possible to achieve your professional goals without sacrificing your personal life. Likewise, you can realize personal dreams without giving up a rewarding career. It all depends on your ability to define work-life balance in your own way, negotiate with a current or future employer to address shifting priorities, and accept responsibility for adapting as circumstances change.

Liz is executive director of OfficeTeam, the nation's leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. OfficeTeam has more than 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.


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