How to find work-life balance

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Combining work and personal life is not an easy task these days. We are torn between home and office, we want to have time for everything here and there. Only now it often happens that in the end one of the areas of our life is on the sidelines. In this article, you will find helpful tips on how to find a balance between work and family with minimal damage to both parties.

Prioritize

Determine for yourself what is most important in life and what is secondary. Just don't lie to yourself. Don't fake your principles to match what is "accepted." Ask yourself the question: if you could only do one thing in this life, what would I choose? And in second place? And on the third? These are your real priorities, remember them.

Keep track of the time

Set yourself up for a test week: keep track of how much time you spend on things that really don't matter to you. Check your priority list and try to cut off unnecessary things or outsource the work to someone else.

Don't do two things at the same time

Forget multitasking. Only a few of us can equally successfully cope with two or more cases in parallel. Most people only work well when they are fully focused on the task at hand. If you are working, then think at this moment only about work. If you are spending time with your family, then no work is out of the question.

Create yourself a ritual for every day

Choose a certain activity for yourself, which you will definitely devote time to every day. It can be anything: going to the gym, reading books, visiting a museum, a massage, or just half an hour of complete solitude and silence - depending on your tastes. Make this activity part of your required program.

Respect your personal time

Don't try to increase the number of hours in a day at the expense of personal time. Of course, there are all sorts of emergencies and emergencies, but more often than not, a sudden work problem may well wait a while.

Take a closer look at your habits

If you sleep too little, eat poorly, lead a sedentary lifestyle and very rarely go out into the open air, then no amount of advice will help you find harmony. Trite, but true.

Don't forget about vacation

A person must rest from work for at least two weeks a year. Apart from holidays and weekends. It is not necessary to go somewhere to distant lands and spend huge sums to rest. The main thing is to completely disconnect from thoughts about work. Turn off your work phone, don't open any programs you need to work, pretend you're unemployed and just take a break.

Share your actions with others

Talk to your loved ones, friends, colleagues, tell them that you want to plan your life differently. Ask for support and understanding, explain that your goal is to succeed on both "fronts".

Add some sport to your life

It would seem that adding anything to an already busy schedule is nonsense. However, it is the additional physical activity that helps to defuse the intellectual load, relieve stress and make you more productive in the end. Nobody talks about long hours of grueling workouts, morning exercises, jogging or just energetic dancing to your favorite music is enough. You will be surprised, but the strength from this will only come.

Set clear boundaries

Thanks to the latest technology, you can work without even leaving your home. Mobile offices, a computer working around the clock - all this is a double-edged sword. Set clear rules for yourself: when you are at work, your loved ones should not bother you, unless, of course, something extraordinary happens. And when, for example, you go to football with your son or take a girl to a restaurant, no work issues should concern you. If you don't have a separate phone for work, it's best to just turn off your mobile at this time, or at least mute the sound.

Find an example to follow

Take a look around. Look for the person who, as you think, has found the optimal balance of work and personal time: try to learn from him. If possible, consult with him, ask how he (or she) prioritizes and sets his boundaries.

Learn to say no

Do not rush to solve other people's problems at the first call. Know how to refuse help in cases where a person can easily manage on his own. This does not mean that you have to be a callous idol, just remember your priorities and learn to say "no" tactfully, but firmly.

Analyze the situation and build on your success

It is impossible to achieve a balance that will be maintained by itself. A harmonious existence will always require some effort from you. Another thing is that maintaining an existing balance is much easier than going to it from scratch. Analyze your actions, observe the effect obtained, do not give up what you started with the first setbacks.

There will be no immediate result from these actions, this is not the case when from Monday you will become a completely different person. Please be patient and look for your "golden mean", because the most difficult thing is to decide on changes and take the first steps. Good luck to you!