For those of you who are not aware I also blog on another website (talamelli.wordpress.com). This 2nd blog allows me to give a more rounded view about my life and talk not only about Oracle and Recruitment, but also about other things as well. Last week I posted a blog entry titled "Nike+ iPod Why Didn't I Buy You Earlier". I have been going for 3-8 km runs for the past 3-4 years about 3-4 times a week. I do this not because I want to compete in a marathon or break some time record, but I do this 1) to keep myself in some form of shape 2) it refreshes me and keeps me from getting lethargic/lazy 3) it's a good way for thinking time on my own away from my desk and distractions.

I try to ensure that at least twice a week I take the opportunity to go for a run during lunch. We all know how easy it can be to work through lunch at your desk and finish off that candidate search or reply to that email/linkedin request/twitter message. I do not think this is a healthy thing to do every day, but I see people doing it regularly all the time. We are all busy, there is always something to do, but we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves as well. Yes, work is important and there are times we need to work through lunch or on the weekend or at night, but do not let work consume you - A healthy work/life balance will ensure you do not burn yourself out and will likely produce greater results than if you just sit at your desk all day.

I like the saying 'a healthy body = a healthy mind'. Not only is an unbalanced work/life perspective not healthy, I am not sure if sitting at your desk all day is the best environment for fresh new ideas or creative thoughts. One of the things I like about going for a quick run at lunch is that it gives me time to collect my thoughts and look at new and different ways to tackle an issue. I can not think of the number of times a solution to a problem has 'popped' into my head during/after a run when only hours before it seemed impossible to solve.

A work/life balance is the ideal result, however you do not want to spend too much time away from your job that it takes away from your results. I am not saying you should take time off work to the detriment of you doing your job, just make sure that you get a break for yourself regularly. It does not have to be running, it can be what ever it is that works for you, but make sure that during your work week you make some time for yourself - both you and your company will be better for it.