The WORK section of the Pie of Life includes these activities:

• Working a part-time or full-time job
• Being an active parent and participating in their activities
• Doing household and yard work chores
• Running errands such as shopping

Using the Increase-Decrease Method

If you are feeling that you have too little time for the WORK section of your Pie of Life, the Increase-Decrease Method can be used to rebalance your pie. Following are some suggestions for shifting the boundary lines that are shared with SCHOOL and LEISURE.

1. Reduce some of your social and leisure time to make more time for work. Keep the social time that is quality social time and eliminate the less-meaningful social time. Remember, however, that the Pie of Life is only balanced when you have sufficient leisure time as well. The tendency is to cut back the leisure section of the pie too severely in order to make more work time; the imbalance creates more stress and dissatisfaction.

2. Consider the possibility that you will need to register for fewer classes in order to make more time for work. Many students find the balance is best by attending school part-time while working a full-time job.

3. Explore the option of looking for a job that pays better for the same number (or fewer) work hours per week.

4. Look for financial aid, grants, and scholarships to reduce the need to work extensive hours.

5. If the need to work more hours in employment are due to extensive bills, be resourceful. Learn new money management techniques and options by talking with counselors or financial planners.

6. If the personal chores at home and with children are the source of feeling the need for more work time, priortize your chores and errands. Explore ways to do them more efficiently, or to do them less frequently than you had in the past. Work with other household members to re-examine the list of chores and divide the chores more equitably.

Click on each section of the Pie of Life for more information.