Everyone dreams of having a successful career. Sadly, it takes time, hard work, and initiative to actualize that dream. Some organizations allow their employees to meet their targets within 40 hours a week, but you will often need to work longer to meet deadlines and targets.
It might not be surprising that you work more than 70 hours a week. You might even convince yourself that the family time you miss will be worth it in the long run. However, working for long hours will eventually take a toll on you.
Research indicates that throwing yourself heavily into work can lead to burnout, stress, and lonely personal life. As much as your work is essential, your personal life is also crucial for your psychological, emotional, and physical well-being. That is why you need to achieve a work-life balance. Below are the six tips you can use to improve your work-life balance.
1. Exercise and Meditate
Exercise is usually an activity most people forego when their schedule becomes tighter. Individuals forget that exercise is a stress reliever since it pumps endorphins in your body that make you feel good. You will lift your mood and be in a meditative state after exercising.
Dedicating a few hours of your time every week to meditation, yoga, or any form of exercise is advisable. You can start with simple brief exercises and gradually progress to more advanced exercises.
Exercises have significant payoffs despite some of them requiring minimum effort. Meditative exercises such as deep breathing will activate your body’s rest and calm you down. In addition to meditative workouts, you can microdose on CBD oil to possibly improve your sleep and relaxation. Thus, you will have a more relaxed time outside work.
2. Change the Structure of Your Life
It is easy to form an established course of action and convince yourself that is all your life is about. However, you can always look into your life to find the areas you can improve. You will be shocked at how these changes can make your life easier.
You do not have to do everything on your own. Focus on the activities you specialize in and those you value the most. Delegating and outsourcing could also be handy when balancing your life and work. You can utilize the help of your colleagues, employees, or your partner.
3. Learn to Unplug
Technology plays a crucial role in your work and personal life. The challenge with technology is the creation of constant accessibility. This means that your work day can be unending due to technology. It might be helpful if you switched off your phone and enjoyed your time.
A phone notification might ruin your off time by injecting stress into your system. So, avoid sending work emails during family time or replying to work-related texts while in your kid’s soccer game.
Your quality time should remain quality, and work should not ruin that. You become resilient when you ignore your work updates in your quality time. You will have a greater sense of control of your life. Consequently, you will not be prone to stress like someone who constantly reacts to work notifications.
4. Get Rid of Perfectionism
It is easy for an overachiever to develop perfectionism from a tender age. Letting go of that habit might not be an easy feat, and as you age, life becomes more demanding. Your responsibilities mushroom as your family and career grows. Perfectionism becomes beyond reach, and if not addressed, it becomes dangerous and destructive.
You will need to let go of perfectionism to avoid burning out. The habit becomes very unfeasible as your life grows and expands. The best thing that you could do is strive for excellence instead of perfection.
5. Have Clear Goals and Objectives
You should set clear goals and implement time management strategies. Have a to-do list, analyze it, and eliminate the tasks with little value. You can dedicate the time you are most productive at work to the most critical activities.
Structure your day to achieve productivity. Ensure you are on track to meet your objectives in time. You should avoid checking your phone, emails, or any other form of distraction that might end up wasting your time. As a result, you will have more free time to relax outside work.
6. Accept You Cannot Have a Perfect Work-Life Balance
It is quite a stretch to imagine you will always have a fruitful day at work and go home to have quality time with your family. Striving to have a perfect schedule is not feasible. While some days your energy will be more on work, on others, it will be spending time with family and friends and pursuing your hobbies. You will achieve balance over time and not each day. Focus more on the day’s needs, and you will find an overall balance.
Take Away
The tips above are somewhat different but follow a few major themes. These themes are taking your time off, separating your work life from your home life, setting boundaries, and having priorities. Remember, there is nothing like a perfect work-life balance, but you will be in a much better position when you follow these tips. Also, ensure you take your vacation and spend quality time with your family.