Do you spend too much time at the office – or in front of your computer screen?
Do you feel like you aren’t giving your personal and family life enough time?
Does the phrase “all work and no play” apply to your current situation?
If you find yourself wanting to achieve that seemingly elusive “work-life balance”, you’re in the right place.
Work-Life Balance: How Do You Do It?
Achieving work-life balance is often a long, daunting process. Whether you’re new to the world of work or a seasoned professional, chances are that you struggle with achieving work-life balance.
But the good news is that it gets easier! When you exert real effort to achieve that balance, you’ll find that it’s not as elusive as it seems.
To achieve it, you first need to make the conscious decision to do it.
Have you already made this decision?
Once you’ve made the conscious decision to achieve work-life balance, here are some tips to help you along the way.
1. Set your priorities.
You may be juggling numerous goals and roles in your life. A successful career woman. A loving parent. A devoted partner. You may also have goals of contributing to your community, furthering your education, or keeping to a fitness regimen. Further, you may be dealing with extended family issues, like dealing with an illness in the family or caring for your aging parents.
All of these things take your energy and time, and often run into conflict with each other. But, as there are only 24 hours in a day, you may have to think about your values and set your priorities based on those values. For instance, if being a ‘loving parent’ is a priority for you – setting aside time each night to play with your children might take priority over working overtime to earn more.
2. Play to your strengths and delegate your weaknesses.
Instead of loading yourself up with things you aren’t good at or things you don’t like, see if you can delegate those tasks to others. Delegating tasks can add a surprisingly large amount of time back to your day, as you’ll be able to focus better when you’re doing things that you actually enjoy.
For instance, if you’re a solopreneur flooded with work, you might want to consider delegating some of your tasks to a virtual assistant. Having a virtual assistant by your side will free up certain tasks, and allow you to focus on your core business.
Delegating also works in a home environment! You can trade responsibilities or chores with your significant other, or give your children more of their own chores around the house if they’re old enough. Not only will this free up your time, but you’re instilling the value of hard work and responsibility to your children too.
3. Accept that imbalance is sometimes unavoidable.
It would be impossible to perfectly balance everything in your life at all times – there will be times wherein you’ll have to let work or family take priority. For instance, when one family member falls sick, you may have to skip a work event; or when you have an important deadline, you might have to miss dinner at home and stay late in the office. Accept that imbalance is sometimes unavoidable – you’ll feel better for it.
Final Thoughts
Achieving work-life balance might take you some trial and error – after all, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to it – but the payoff will be incredible once you figure out strategies that work best for you, your work, and your family.
The most important thing is that you’re able to put yourself first from time to time. Enjoy a few moments of peace every day. Take those vacation days. Spend meaningful time with the people you love.
After all, you’ve worked hard to build an amazing life for yourself – what’s the point if you can’t relax occasionally and enjoy life the way you want?
Get that balance you've been dreaming about! Have that space to regather and reorganize your tasks, time, and strategies. You can try to schedule your day on your personal calendars or use an online organizational tool such as Trello to help you organize tasks in the cutest way possible!
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