When it comes to work-life balance, the work part comes easily to most people.
IT’S THE LIFE SIDE THAT’S TRICKY, as work seems to creep into life around every corner. Smartphones make it all too easy to check work email from home, especially as employers open up BYOD (bring your own device) policies that encourage employees to make their work and personal phones the same. If you’re struggling to balance the two, it’s time to TAKE A DEEP BREATH and consider your options like tightrope walking.
You Aren’t The Only One❗
If this work-life difficulty seemed to creep up on you, that’s because it’s been happening to a lot of people. Particularly as the recession hit, employers started demanding more of people.❌?
Plus, money stress drove people to work more to protect their jobs and position themselves for promotions that are hard to come by. It’s not all about anecdotes, either. Statistics support the trend as well.
According to Bloomberg Business week, “In 2006, 53% of employees felt they had a good work-life balance; that number fell to 30% in the first quarter of 2009.”
This means that two out of every three co-workers in your office probably feel the same way you do. Realize you aren’t alone and start doing something to bring your life back into balance.☀
Work Better, Not Longer
When work is seeming to take over your life, find ways to make the work happen more efficiently rather than having to work late. Here are some strategies that may help you get out of the office on time:
?Minimize time spent in non-working conversations with co-workers, particularly those who love spreading office gossip that you really don’t find interesting.???
?Batch work as much as you can. Instead of jumping from writing to researching to e-mail to telephone calls, focus and complete one activity before moving.
?Complete 2 IMPORTANT tasks first every day. Then move to those administrative details that aren’t important.
?Save personal activities, like checking Facebook or managing your online banking, for your time at home. You’ll enjoy them much more there.
?Switch gears on projects when you feel like you’re hitting a brick wall and come back to it later with a fresh perspective.
?Take 5-minute breaks to get up, stretch, and clear your mind in the middle of the workday if you feel yourself becoming less productive.?
As you manage your time at work more efficiently, you’ll have more time for yourself and your family in the evenings. Being intentional about how you spend that time as well will help you make the most of it.
Decide what you really enjoy and what makes you feel like your life has balance…
…and prioritize those activities and pursuits. It can be easy to slip into routines and habits of doing things that aren’t actually improving your quality of life.
Permit Yourself to Take a Day Off
Rather than going to the office and slogging through yet another day of work when it’s going to be seriously detrimental to your mood and well-being, don’t be afraid to go ahead and take a day off. Regardless of how integral you think you are to your company, they will manage to get by for one day without you.
COMMIT TO NOT THINKING ABOUT WORK at all during the day, even going as far as turning off your phone and computer.?
Then spend the day doing the things you enjoy ⏰
Take inspiration from these ideas:
✅Sleep in, then take a nap later in the day too?
✅Go to a yoga class
✅Meditate while listening to your favorite instrumental music
✅Bake cookies or bread or some other delicious treat?
✅Get coffee with a friend, or if nobody’s available, take a book as your coffee shop date
✅Make an appointment at the spa or salon for an afternoon of being pampered
A Wise Perspective
In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a speech at Stanford University that had some sage advice about work-life balance. Although the audience was primarily college grads, his wisdom applies to everyone:
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like:
“If you live each day as if it was your last, some days you’ll most certainly be right.”?
It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
?What do you need to change in your life?
?What are you missing out on because you’re spending too much time and energy on your work?
Rather than wishing you could make the change, go ahead and do something about it now!?
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Sources:
Bloomberg Businessweek: The Increasing Call for Work-Life Balance (http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2009/ca20090327_734197.htm)
Forbes: Billionaires’ Advice for New College Grads (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eimh45ehjl/steve-jobs-live-each-day-as-if-it-was-your-last/)
Ferriss, Timothy (2007). The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. Crown Publishing Group.
