Work-life balance is a myth. That is the number one lesson I learned. Ever since I started blogging full time, I have been struggling to have the perfect work-life balance. I tried to achieve work-life balance for years and I still don’t quite fully understand it. So I decided to try something different. If you want to achieve work-life balance, below are my quick tips for balancing relationships and work.
Work-Life Balance Tips
Be Committed At Home
If you want to find work-life balance then create quality time with your partner, family and your friends. A reoccurring mistake for me was not fully committing to family time. I would block off time to spend with family and do things together, but my work was still seeping in my personal life when it shouldn’t have been. Have boundaries and learn to be 100% present with your loved ones. If you truly want to achieve work-life balance then put in the time and show to your family and partner you are fully committed to them when you are spending time with them. When you’re with your partner or friends, shut down your laptop, put the phone away, and instead pay attention to them, converse, listen to them, and just be mentally and physically present. Disconnect to connect.
Stop Multitasking!
Multi-tasking is a common must-have skill in the corporate world, but if you ask me it is counterproductive. I strongly believe that by multitasking you end up losing focus by going back and forth when in reality you should be focusing on one thing at a time. Properly allocating your time to one thing at a time will allow you to get things done faster and more efficiently. An example of a work-life balance here would be that instead of multitasking, try to get the smaller tasks done first. If you multitask, multitask efficiently and in a smart manner. For example, if I have errands to run, but it is time for me to walk Margot (my dog) what I usually do is combine the two. I usually like to commit my time to her 100%, but sometimes when the day gets really busy and there is no way around it, I have to do my errands during my walk with Margot.
Take a Look At What You Do With Your Time
If you are finding the day is slipping by but you are not quite sure if you are using your time wisely, then start paying attention and writing down how your time is being used. You will not achieve work-life balance if you don’t even know how your time is spent. We always have things on our to-do list both at work and at home, but the key is to also allocate time for ourselves to have fun. I always evaluate how I use my time in order to use my time effectively and focus on the things that are important. For example, I was finding that at home I was spending most of my time doing housework like laundry, dishes etc. So what I did was to ask Kamiran to help and share the load of chores. By starting to share the responsibilities around the house with your partner you are also benefiting from it. So look at how you are spending your time, and how that time spent is affecting your work and life.
Cut Back on Your Commitments
Managing stress and work-life comes from knowing when to say NO! Learn to say no and start recognizing what is important and a priority for you. When things get too busy in your life and you take on more than you should and can, learn to recognize when it is time to start saying no! Whether it is taking on more tasks at work or making plans with friends and family, limit your “yes”. Don’t be afraid to start saying “no” to things that are low on your priority list. Saying yes and committing to everything that presents itself to you will lead to burnout not only at work but also at work.
Start Outsourcing
If you want work-life balance then start outsourcing! You have to be realistic with the expectations you set on yourself and truth is you simply do not have enough time to do it all. And that is ok! That doesn’t mean you are a failure or that you don’t have what it takes. Outsourcing your work is actually smart. The time you spent outsourcing something is more free time for you to be spending elsewhere. From virtual assistants to personal assistants, to even hiring someone to clean your home; allocating tasks is what you need if you want to reach your goals.
Try thinking of ways to achieve work-life balance. You really need to start putting the time in so you can also reduce work-family conflict. There are so many benefits when you achieve work-life balance, most importantly a happier you.
