Many of us recently had a short holiday to celebrate Easter. Regardless of how you feel about the religious significance, it’s important to achieve work-life balance and embrace a well-deserved break once in a while.
I’ve written before about managing the tricky balance between work and life. It seems, however, from what I’ve been reading on Twitter and hearing from people, there were still plenty who worked over the Easter weekend.
Sure — some of us may have had strict deadlines to meet; still, it seems that many others enjoy playing the martyr, working the weekend because we’re possibly just badly organised.
A trick I learned a while ago is to have an occasional “time audit.” You may already use a sophisticated time-tracking system for your professional output; however, this is more an audit of how you spend your day every day.
The idea here is to write up a table, with the columns denoting the next seven days, and the rows representing various broadly defined activities.
For an example, you may use activity headings such as:
- sleeping
- travel to/from office
- client meetings
- project work
- family dinner
- web surfing
What I tend to do is write the activity headings once I’ve actually done them — and remember to keep them broad.
At the end of a week-long trial (and remember, maintain your habits as you usually would spend them), add the rows up, and see where those 168 hours of your life went. Typically, most people still manage to shock themselves — with plenty thinking they work far less than they actually do.
Now, look at your activities, and see which ones really are less important to you, and see how you can change your weeks to incorporate more of the high payoff activities. These would include high profit work, exercise, family time, AND sleeping (very much a high priority).
Make this audit a habit to undertake every six or so months, and you’ll soon tame the time beast!
Achieving work-life balance really is more than just a buzzword. It’s a real thing that too many people struggle with. Balance can mean different things to different people, however it often boils down to the idea of dedicating time and attention to both your work and your outside life.
Work-life balance can make employees happier, healthier, and more productive at their jobs. And the benefits of achieving this balance don’t stop there – it can also have major impacts on family members, friends, community involvement, leisure activities, spirituality, and personal growth.
The key is finding out what works for you so you can be happy in all aspects of your life. Here are some ways to help you find balance in your day-to-day life!
What is Work-Life Balance?
The term “work-life balance” is a catch-all phrase that can mean different things to different people. For example, work-life balance might involve spending time with family members, friends, and community involvement. It could also be the idea that your life doesn’t revolve around working all the time.
There are many ways to achieve work-life balance, and it’s important for you to figure out what works for you so you can be happy in all aspects of your life. In this piece, we’ll cover some tips on how to achieve work-life balance by understanding which areas of your life are most important to you.
Why Does It Matter?
The first step is to figure out why it’s so important for you to achieve work-life balance. Maybe you want to spend more time with family and friends. Perhaps you want to take care of your health, or maybe you’re just not sure what you want your life to look like in the future.
However, if work-life balance isn’t working for you, try some of these methods listed below and see how they help!
How to Achieve Work-Life Balance
There are many ways to create balance in your life. If you’re working full-time, then the greatest way to achieve work-life balance is to set up a schedule where you don’t work more than 40 hours per week. That way, you have time for activities outside of work that bring you happiness and satisfaction.
If you’re not working full-time however, still want to create a schedule with plenty of time for leisurely pursuits, then ensure that you allow yourself breaks throughout your day. These breaks can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as three hours, however they should provide relief from all the stress of your job.
In addition to giving yourself breaks throughout your day, make sure that you have other things on your plate that help you feel satisfied by taking care of family members, friends, or community involvement. Build up these things into part of your daily routine so they become enjoyable and fulfilling experiences rather than stressful tasks.
And lastly, try to find some time each day for personal growth – whether it’s through spiritual practises like meditation or reflection on personal values and goals. Find a way to incorporate these activities into your daily life so they become natural parts of what makes up a balanced life!
Make time for both your work and your outside life
If you’re going to find balance in your life, you need to make time for both your work and your outside life. Too often people will focus solely on one aspect of their lives and neglect the other. It’s easy to get caught up with work or personal life and forget about all the other things that fill your day, like taking a walk, meditating, or spending time with friends.
Making time for both aspects of life is important because it can help you more effectively manage stress. When employees have more of a balance between work and their personal lives, they are able to better manage stress caused by work. If you’re stressed about something at work, make sure you make time for yourself so you can deal with it better.
You also have the ability to bring the best out of yourself when you have time set aside for both your work and your outside life. It’s hard to be an effective employee if you don’t take care of yourself! It can be easy to lose sight of why you’re working so hard if you’re not also reaping the benefits of what that hard work is bringing in.
Keep a calendar of appointments and deadlines
Good time management skills are key to achieving work-life balance. It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and lose sight of what you need to do. To get a better idea of your priorities, keep a calendar of appointments and deadlines by day, week, or month.
This will help you stay on top of what’s going on, so you can make sure that work gets done when it needs to be. On the other hand, if you want to live a more balanced lifestyle outside of work, keep track of leisure activities as well.
Maybe even put some things in your calendar for which there’s no set date, however still have something for them on your list! This is also a good way to stay motivated if you’re trying to accomplish something difficult or take on a new project.
Find something you like to do for fun (after work hours)
Some people like to go out on the weekends and have fun. Some people enjoy spending time with friends or family. Others like to be creative when they’re not in the office. It’s important for your work-life balance to find one thing you enjoy doing after hours, whether it be going to a movie, playing sports, cooking delicious meals, or anything else.
This is a great way to decompress from work after a long day at the office and will help you focus on what really matters: having a life outside of your job!
Look for opportunities in your community
If you’re struggling with balancing work-life balance, look for opportunities in your community that can help you connect with others and make new friends.
Thinking about volunteering? Connect with families and children in your neighbourhood who would love the opportunity to meet someone new. If you’re interested in being more social and meeting new people, joining a book club or attending a weekly support group could be helpful ways to ease into this idea of connecting with others as well as finding things that interest you outside of work.
Find ways to make money outside of your job
It can be difficult to find time to balance your work and life when you don’t have extra money coming in. However if you want to achieve work-life balance, you’ll need to make some time for yourself.
One way of finding the time is by setting up a side hustle. For example, if someone’s looking for a career change, they might consider freelancing or consulting to build their skills and knowledge. If someone has been thinking about starting their own business and needs capital, they could set up a Patreon account on their website and start collecting donations from friends or fans.
If someone wants to take care of themselves while still working on their career, they might try volunteering in the community. They could also pick up an additional side job or two that doesn’t interfere with work or family commitments – like babysitting!
If someone has children who are young enough that they can stay at home without supervision, they might consider staying home with them so they can have more fulfilling experiences. It may mean doing some minimal freelance work on the side, however it will give them more time with their kids while still being able to earn an income.
Conclusion
Work-Life Balance is important for everyone. Whether you manage a busy family, are a stay-at-home mom, or just want to make sure you’re not living your life on the clock, these tips can help you balance your time and still enjoy your life.
Entrepreneur, 