Yosa Yosa – Lusaka, Zambia

I work in a top tier law firm as a Dispute Resolution, Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyer. The goal of my firm is to deliver service of the same quality that a client would receive from an international law firm in New York or London, as we aim to use our skills to build Africa for Africans. Invariably, this means that there must be attention to detail and we must go the extra mile which inevitably results in long working hours and working weekends.

My understanding of work-life balance is – having time for self-care as well as time to spend with loved ones whilst not compromising performance in the office and the quality of work. I believe that work-life balance is achievable – through good time management and planning. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that some days will be better than others. As with any balance, the pendulum is always swinging. I however work towards achieving it by ensuring that important activities like exercise and spending time with family are set into my schedule as I plan my work week and days. A degree of flexibility is however required as one cannot always account for unforeseen events.

It is inevitable that some days will be busier than others in the office and the long hours will be unavoidable. In this regard, flexibility in reworking your schedule is necessary. It’s also important to remember that your mental and physical health is necessary for you to remain a high performer in the office, so it’s important to schedule time for exercise and other self-care activities. For example, I love to play football and that is my primary fitness activity. So it is set in my schedule that I play at least 3 times a week – during the week and once on Saturdays. Where I am unable to, I must make time on another day for a substitute fitness activity.

As regards planning your work schedule, always categorize tasks in order of urgency and importance and schedule each one accordingly. To achieve work-life balance, one must be deliberate about how they schedule and manage their time. Often, what leads to panic in meeting deadlines is procrastination. Cut out the procrastination and schedule your tasks.

In concluding, I would say, there is no one size fits all approach, so find a solution that works for you and suits your lifestyle and personality.

Yosa Yosa is a Partner in Musa Dudhia & Company, a law firm based in Lusaka, Zambia