Throughout our careers, we’ve all heard They’re also difficult to answer because: If you say “yes,” you put yourself in jeopardy of missing out on a much-needed getaway.
If you say “no,” you are putting your employment at risk by refusing to work as part of a team.
Internally, there is a constant struggle to be a hard worker, team player, and successful individual. Spending more time at the workplace, on the other hand, may result in increased stress, long-term health problems, and strained relationships with family and friends.
1. Inventory your priorities.
Decide what you want and what you’re willing to give up to get it. Make a list of your top priorities and go to work.
Begin by determining what is most important to you. If you need to, make a priority list of goals. Make a note of it.
Are you really going to put your job ahead of your family? You definitely have a terrible work-life balance right now if you’re tempted to prioritize work over the reasons you need to generate money. Remind yourself why you’re working, and then go over your to-do list once more.
In order to achieve a better work-life balance, Prioritizing Suggestions: Check out Allyson Lewis’ book The 7 Minute Solution: Time Strategies to Prioritize, Organize, and Simplify Your Life at Work & at Home.
You’ll learn time management skills to help you prioritize, organize, and simplify your life at work and at home. You’ll feel more energized, resilient, and happy at the end of the book.
Related: Work-Life Balance Secrets
2. Figure out if there are areas where you are wasting time.
Though there are some elements about time that you can’t change (like the time you have to check-in at work), most of us waste time during the day doing things we don’t need to be doing.
Do you really need to go to the gym for two hours; do you really want to watch five channels for five hours at home? Are you squandering your time with individuals or activities that have nothing to do with your priority list? If that’s the case, free up some time!
A few simple time-wasting suggestions for balancing work and life? Remove distractions, set no-excuse deadlines, and quit procrastinating!
Try the Pomodoro technique first thing in the morning. Divide your work into 25-minute chunks, with a 5-minute rest in between.
Taking these pauses will help you remember things better. You may become so engrossed in the task at hand that you lose sight of time. This is known as the flow, and it is the ultimate productivity goal!
Related: Work-Life Balance Expert Tips
3. Realize you do not have to climb the ladder.
It used to be unheard of to turn down a promotion even at the cost of moving an entire family across the country. But as more and more people are in search of work-life balance tips, perceptions are changing
If climbing the corporate ladder is something that is essential to you, something that you are passionate about, something that motivates you, then go for it! But keep in mind that it is not for everyone.
We’ve all been socialized to believe that if we don’t strive to be the best, we’re failures, but this is just not true. Every member of an organization makes a significant contribution.
Believe it or not, career advisors and HR managers are increasingly recognizing this; there are many people today who aren’t interested in ‘climbing the corporate ladder.’
Whatever others may think, your life does not have to revolve around work.
If you have a passion outside of work that you feel compelled to pursue—may be at the loss of a promotion, perhaps at the risk of your coworkers’ occasional scorn—then go for it. You’ll be a lot happier and more successful doing what you were born to do!
Related: Every Day, Successful People Do Certain 10 Things
4. Every day, schedule time to do something “unimportant.”
This is critical since it is via this that we are able to rejuvenate. Make a decision to do something that will not help you advance in any manner, but that you will enjoy.
Decision-making depletes willpower, according to psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, who examined it.
Baumeister discovered that taking breaks from making decisions and following through on them helps you perform better overall.
As a result, this is fantastic work-life balance advice for increasing your overall efficiency. It will also assist you in relaxing. Keep in mind that you should work to live, not the other way around.
Related: What Does It Mean to “Seize the Day”?
5. Take care of your body.
A poor work-life balance can harm not only our relationships, psychological health, and happiness, but also our physical health. When you’re attempting to “save time, “you might be tempted to skip sleep or take shortcuts in the kitchen so you can finish your meal faster and move on to the next task on your to-do list.
While five hours of sleep and quick food may work in the short term, they will wreak havoc on your body in the long run.
At that point, you’ve set yourself up for a downward spiral. When you ignore your body, you become exhausted and lose the ability to concentrate on your work and other activities.
You subsequently waste even more time due to inefficiency, skipping more sleep, and continuing to eat poorly.
You just keep going down, and down, and down, and down, and down, and down, As a result, take good care of your physique. Look for other methods to save time. It’s never worth it to put your health on the line.
Didn’t imagine we’d suggest adding something to your calendar as part of our work-life balance advice? Well, you were mistaken! But bear with us. Exercise has been shown to boost productivity. So, consider adding a half-hour to your schedule; your investment will pay off.
6. Keep your private time private.
Leave your work phone and email off during your off hours unless you have to pay employees that requires you to be available outside of business hours. Keep your personal time private.
Share it with your loved ones, as well as the individuals you truly desire in your life.
You are not required to communicate with your supervisors or coworkers on a regular basis. You also don’t have to be willing to rearrange your personal time at the drop of a hat, or even at all. Treat it as if you were on a vacation at home.
Your life is yours, not your boss’s or your company’s. You owe no one anything but yourself during your off-work hours.
Related: What Is Well-Being And How Can It Be Improved?
7. Learn how to say “no.”
Saying “no” is one of the most effective work-life balance advice you can give. While you must fulfill some commitments, you can decline many others without jeopardizing your honor. Learn to say “no” to these responsibilities.
You are not required to work endless hours of overtime because your supervisor will be “disappointed” if you do not. You don’t have to work hard to become the CEO because your family or coworkers expect it from you. You don’t have to adopt other people’s objectives.
You get to choose your goals; you get to choose what gives your life meaning, value, and joy. You should be just as proud of your “no” as you are of your “yes.” The boundaries you establish are the contours that define you as a person.
If you adopt all of these work-life balance recommendations into your everyday life and still don’t feel like you have a healthy balance and are dissatisfied, it might be time to revisit your priority list. Not everyone works in the correct field.
Would you be happier in a job with fewer out-of-office commitments and shorter hours? It’s frightening to think about making a huge life change, and ideally you won’t have to. If you do, don’t be afraid to try it; it might possibly alter your life for the better!
It’s well worth it to follow your newly implemented work-life balance suggestions in order to live a happy, healthy, and balanced existence!
Quincy has been investing in web properties since 2009 and is KIM’s lead editor and content writer. Quincy, who lives in San Antonio, has an MBA from the University of Dundee and an MSc from the University of Edinburgh.