Tool 4.6

Module Index

Module 1 - planning

Module 2 - wool

Module 3 - meat

Module 4 - people

Module 5 - NRM

Module 6 - soil

Module 7 - pasture

Module 8 - grazing

Module 9 - genetics

Module 10 - more lambs

Module 11 - sheep health

Module 12 - pastoral production

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MODULE 4: Capable and Confident Producers

Index

This tool is simply a framework for recording how you think you are going in relation to the five things (work, family, you, time and money) that most people find important. At its simplest, you can place a tick in the boxes ‘going well’ or ‘not going well’, and comment on your decision. However, you will get more insight and gain more value if you can list some things that are going well and others that are not going quite so well for each of the five areas. For example, in the ‘work’ row, it might be that contracting out the hay-making, working one day a week off the farm, and employing a casual gardener are going well, but weed control has become a bit out of hand and you can’t find anyone to lease you some additional land so you can expand your lamb finishing enterprise.

Download the Work-Life Balance Worksheet (60 KB)

Step 1: Individual response
As an individual, fill out the table (with either ticks in the boxes or with more specific items listed) for the things that are going well and for the things that are not going quite so well.

For the things that are going well, how can they be protected or further enhanced, while for the things that are not going so well, what are the causes of your dissatisfaction, and what actions can you take to get a better overall balance in your life?

Step 2: Write a statement that describes your idea of your work–life balance situation.
On the basis of your individual response at Step 1, write a statement that describes what an ideal work/life balance would look like. How close to that ideal are you, and therefore how significant are the changes you might contemplate?

Step 3: Business
Share and discuss the individual responses to Steps 1 and 2 with those who matter in your business and family. This is not as easy as the individual analysis, for it is almost certain that changes one person wants to make will affect the others in the business or family. The challenge is to work collectively to ensure that everyone understands the needs and aspirations of the others in the family/business so you can all work to achieve a better work/life balance in both the short and longer terms.