“Balance” is a word that you associate with daily. Today’s work-life culture demands that you maintain a balance between personal and professional life. Times are hectic, and human beings are engaging with one another more than ever. Having balance in your life can seem like a dream.
Since your work schedule now extends beyond the usual work hours, you need to keep yourself in check or you are bound to spiral into stress and anxiety. For example, the half-yearly appraisal is just around the corner. To achieve that manager position, you develop a plan. You will take more interest in projects, chip in with ideas, and stay late at night to show the boss how hardworking you are. Slowly, this bleeds into your home life. You start bringing work home. When the entire family is asleep, you sit at the dining table, typing away on your laptop.
All these late nights at work and home will start to sap your energy slowly. You will miss breakfast to arrive early at work, snack during lunchtime, and do just about anything to make sure that things go your way. Before you burn yourself out, become depressed, destroy your health, and lose your motivation, you need to take a step.
Here are five tips on maintaining a work-life balance:
1.Track Your Time
Why is it that you always work past your allotted time? No need to list down the reasons! Just keep a log, and that’s all. Give yourself an ultimatum that if you work longer hours today, you will cut back tomorrow. Your body needs rest after strenuous work and engaging your mind is indeed stressful. You’ll have to mandate a “NO Work at Home” policy.
2.Encourage Hobbies
You can achieve fulfillment when you are happy at work and have enough time to enjoy your hobbies. Give love not just to your work but also to what you like to do. Take out time to fit some hobbies into your schedule, like painting, exercising, and fishing.
3.Take Your Vacation
Everyone needs a little break to get away from the hustle-bustle of their personal and work life. So, don’t put your vacation on hold because you are hoping for a promotion. Things will come to you when you are at your best. Stressing at work and bringing it home will do no one good ― not you, not your family, and not your boss!
4.Know Your Peaks
Are you a morning or afternoon person? Will you be able to do well if you are assigned a high-concentration task early in the morning? If this is the case, clean your mind in the morning and set specific goals. This is a great stress management technique as it will allow you to manage one thing at a time.
5.Learn to Say “No”
Saying “no” does not make you a bad person. If it doesn’t align with your priorities, no need to pay attention to it… at all. Here, conquering fear is important because you are not letting anyone down by declining their request.
So, what’s the verdict? Are you a work addict? Have you recognized the signs in your daily life? Then, better work on a plan on how to scale back!