Achieving the right balance between your work life and your personal life in today’s hectic business world is no simple task. Between work, kids, social and family commitments there is no time left for personal leisure. Nevertheless, you should remember one important thing “life is what you make it”. You have a choice to either surrender to whatever comes your way and live in chaos or you can be proactive by identifying your priorities and scheduling your activities leaving sufficient time for your personal obligations.
If you had to rate your work-life balance on a scale of 1 to 10, what score would you give it? If the chosen score was less than 5 then you have a serious problem that may lead to depression, exhaustion and maybe chronic stress. Akhtaboot presents 5 tips to help you get your work-life in balance.
Organize your Day
Give each activity in your life a fraction of your time. Get a calendar to help you organize your day by setting goals and scheduling appointments such as lunch dates, outings and even sleep hours. Most employees take work home almost every day. Technology has made us more readily accessible to those who needed to reach us urgently, but at what cost? Checking your Blackberry or laptop for work mail every 10 minutes can become one big work blur. Instead of checking your PDA every 2 minutes, stay at work for one extra hour to respond to all of your work emails. The more in control of your projects, tasks and your life as a whole, the less you need these things interrupting you from enjoying the rest of your non-work time. Always remember, work will always be there in the morning!
Learn to Say No
Have you ever felt that you can’t concentrate on the task at hand because every half an hour a coworker interrupts you asking for assistance? One of the most valuable tools for effective time management is recognizing that you don’t have to place other people’s needs before your own. Learning to say No to certain requests when there’s too much on your plate is an effective tool that you should master for better work-life balance. Always identify inquiries that simply aren’t worth your time for effective time management. This advice does not only apply to work but also to personal and social events. Next time you are invited to something, weigh the benefits and costs before saying yes to make sure you don’t compromise your own priorities.
Accept Help
Most professionals do not ask for assistance since they prefer to stay in control and figure things out themselves. Even if you have many years of experience, don’t feel ashamed to ask for help in any area where you lack sufficient knowledge. Moreover, learn to delegate when possible. That doesn’t mean to hand over all of your tasks and sit down doing nothing, but it means passing on some of your responsibilities to your subordinates. Always remember that many of your coworkers may be able to handle some of your work if you give them a chance. When it comes to life outside work, accept help from your partner, family members and friends. For example, ask one of your friends to watch your kids for a night out on the town.
Protect Your Private Time
You may probably think twice before skipping out on a business meeting, doctor’s appointment or a career-related event. Give your private time the same respect you give to your prescheduled appointments. Protect your personal time by turning off your work mobile and laptop whenever you are spending time outside the office. It is not healthy to be one click away of your boss or clients. Make it clear that they should not expect a response from you if they contact you after work hours or on weekends. Moreover, take a ten-minute break every two hours during work day to increase your productivity and efficiency.
Plan Fun & Relaxation
Fun and relaxation are definitely an essential part of leading a well-balanced life. Most of you would think that going on a vacation is not something one should plan beforehand. This is not precisely true. In today’s busy life people can’t afford to let things go unplanned as nothing will be accomplished. Figure out what you want to do while you’re vacationing, and do some research to find out just how you’re going to do that. You do not necessarily need to go abroad in order to relax; you can simply take a novel to the park and enjoy the outdoors, visit the gym or go for a long relaxing walk.
Many employees of today’s world are too busy making a living that they don’t make enough time to create room for their personal life. What you do in your life is in your own hands and finding a balance between your work activities and personal activities should not be left to chance. Work-life balance is all about setting your boundaries and communicating them clearly to everyone. Don’t be one of those who make work life itself and try to get a life of your own!
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