# 4 How important is work in my life as a whole?

In Activity 4, the final area you considered was ‘work–life balance’. In this activity you’ll look at this in more depth because, before considering what you want to do, you need to be clear about how important work is to you. This is something that varies from person to person. You might be highly ambitious (even a ‘workaholic’), or you might avoid positions that regularly eat into your leisure time. You may have found yourself in a job that takes over and leaves little time for family life, or you may prefer something that can give you a better balance between work and home life.

Activity 5 can help you to think about this. If you don’t have much experience of paid work, think about your approach to other activities or projects you are involved with.

## Activity 5

Allow about 15 minutes

Go to the template for this activity in the resource pack and rate each statement. Try to avoid choosing rating 3 'Neither true nor untrue', if possible. Then add up your scores in both the odd-numbered and even-numbered questions. Take the ‘even’ score away from the ‘odd’ score, even if it produces a minus number.

What did you score?

### Comment

If you have a plus (+) score, the higher your score, the stronger your ambition. If you scored +20, for example, you would always put work first and aim high in your achievements. You might even be seen as a ‘workaholic’.

If you have a minus (–) score, you don’t see work as the most important aspect of your life. At the lower end of the scale (for example, if you scored –20), you would put your social life before work, have little concern about progressing your career and might be seen as ‘laid-back’.

If you have a more central score, you keep a balance between work and leisure. You have some concern about doing well and making progress, but you don’t let work rule your life.

Has completing this activity altered the rating you gave to your ‘work–life balance’ in Activity 4? Is it about right for you, or would you like to change this aspect of your life?

You've now completed Section 4 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.

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