Six Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance
by Guest Blogger, Julie Norris
Maintaining healthy work-life balance is essential for finding success in both your professional career and your personal life. But achieving a harmonious relationship between the two can be a challenge. Work and life constantly flow into each other, and while you don’t have to separate them completely, juggling these two parts of your life will be a lot easier if you find ways to balance them effectively. Here are six ways to feel fulfilled and prevent burnout, without hurting your career!
Consider a Career Change
If you’re feeling drained, depleted, and unfulfilled at the end of every workday, it may be time for a career change. You don’t have to enjoy going to work, but you certainly shouldn’t dread it. Now could be the perfect time to take a leap and pursue a new path! You have a whole world of possibilities to explore, whether you want to start your own business, try freelancing, or find employment in another industry.
If what you really want requires additional education, don’t let going back to school stand in your way! Many professionals have found that online degree programs provide the perfect avenue for achieving a degree without taking a toll on their work or personal time. Whether it’s a bachelor’s or master’s, there are programs for just about every field you can think of: accounting, business, human resources, graphic design, nursing… the possibilities are endless.
Cut Out Distractions
Whether you’re working from home or the office, distractions can seriously cut into your productivity and make your days unnecessarily longer. If you’re constantly working late to make up for lost time during the day, cut out any distractions that are holding you back! Entrepreneur explains that distractions can take several forms, from smartphones and emails to hunger and background noise. Identify your personal distractions so you can avoid them.
Working from home with kids in the house? Eliminating distractions may be impossible, but there are steps you can take to ensure greater productivity. For example, consider creating a quiet home workspace, avoiding the temptation to multitask, and establishing interruption-free office hours that are off-limits to your family.
Schedule Out Your Day
Scheduling your time is another great way to avoid distractions and stay on task. This is especially important if you work from home or you set your own hours. When making your schedule, avoid trying to squeeze in an unrealistic amount of work, and remember to include extra time for unexpected tasks. Finally, schedule your most important and demanding tasks during the hours when you feel the most energized and motivated!
Find Time to Unwind
Don’t forget to schedule some time to unwind! Relaxing is a core element of self-care, and if you neglect your downtime, you could wind up facing burnout. Choose some enjoyable, stress-reducing activities to do during lulls in your day. This could be as simple as running through a quick deep breathing exercise at your desk or carving out 30 minutes before bed for some yoga and meditation. Yoga, in particular, is a fantastic practice for managing anxiety, empowering confidence, and relieving tension in the body.
Pick Up a Hobby
Have a little extra time in your day? Fill it with a fulfilling hobby instead of flicking on the TV. According to Fast Company, hobbies can benefit your professional life in several ways! Finding a hobby you enjoy will boost your overall happiness, enhance your creativity, sharpen your focus, and challenge your brain in new ways. Find a hobby you love and carve out time for it regularly!
Learn How to Say “No”
If you have no time for anything but work, work, and more work, it might be time to scale back your responsibilities. Believe it or not, you don’t have to take on every request people make of you. Practice saying “no” when there’s no more room on your plate! Turning down extra work doesn’t have to disappoint people or threaten your professional relationships. Be confident, direct, and open to compromise with the person making the request of you. You may feel better about saying no if you provide an alternative, like offering to take on the project at a later date or working on it with a partner.
Today, technology has made it near-impossible to disconnect from work during our off-hours. This can leave anyone feeling drained, demotivated, and unfulfilled. Whether you decide to change careers or start saying “no” more often, taking steps to achieve better balance will boost your productivity and happiness in every facet of your life!
