Do you feel as though you are constantly working and want to know how to achieve a work-life balance? Are you finding it hard to establish your own time and forget about your stresses of the day? Maybe you find yourself staying behind at work and feel like you do not get a break?
It’s very hard in this day and age to get away from your work. We can still keep in touch with our employers or clients via emails, phone calls or text messages etc. You need to be able to find a good balance so that you can reduce your stress levels and have some time for yourself. I am going to be talking about how you can achieve a work-life balance. Firstly, let’s take a look at the importance of a work-life balance.
Why Is It Important To Have A Work-Life Balance ?
There are various reasons as to why having a work-life balance is important. The most important reason why this can benefit you is that it can help with your stress levels.
It is common to feel like you should stay behind after work to get more done, or to impress your boss. However, if this is constantly done, you will start to become very stressed. Finding the right balance between your work time and your own time can really help to keep you calm and be less stressed.
Having a good work-life balance can also give you more time to take care of yourself. You can put time aside in your day to completely relax and forget about the stresses of work, which you cannot do if you are still there after your working hours are over. It should also help with your relationships, health and your overall happiness. This is because you will find more time to spend with your loved ones and should feel much more positive.
How To Achieve A Work-Life Balance: 5 Steps
1. Leave Work At Work
Leaving your work at work can be easier said than done, but you can do it. If there are some occasions where you have to stay behind for a little while, that’s ok, a lot of people do this.
However, when it starts to take over, that’s when it becomes a problem. This is exactly the same when you bring your work home with you.
The best thing to do is, before you finish work, complete a task before you leave, write down any reminders for the next day and then forget about it. As soon as you leave work, leave your reminders and work behind too. Once you are home, focus on doing something you enjoy, spending time with your loved ones and switch off from work.
2. Step Away From Your Email
With modern technology, it is much easier for us to constantly check up on our work. Bosses can now email you in the evenings, tasks can be completed on your laptop at home, or text messages can be sent from a work colleague to you. It can be very hard to switch off from this and try to ignore your emails and/or phone calls.
When you get home, it may be worth logging out of your work emails on your phone and on your computer so that you cannot be disturbed. This way, you won’t be able to see any messages from work. Therefore, you will not be stressing about the next day or seeing any messages that could worry you.
If you still think you may be tempted, I would suggest completely switching off your phone while you spend your time either relaxing and de-stressing or with your loved one, so that the temptation is not there.
3. Let Go Of Perfectionism
As we get older, we have more responsibilities and it is impossible for us to do everything that we want to do. This also leads to us punishing ourselves and feeling bad when we fail something or do not complete everything we want to complete in a certain amount of time.
At work, you most likely will not be able to get everything you need to do done in one day. You have to recognize that this is ok and that you cannot be perfect.
Once you have let go of this idea that you need to be perfect and get everything right, you can start to rationalize and prioritize your job list. You can then start to not worry about getting everything done at once and be ok with not being perfect.
4. Know That It Is Ok To Say No
You need to understand that you do not need to say yes to everything even though you may feel guilty at first. When you start to realize that people will not hold a grudge if you say no it will feel easier to do so.
You need your own time too and people should understand that. You don’t have to be rude about it, just respectfully decline and know that you are allowed to say no.
If you can say yes to something, that’s great. However, if you can’t, it is ok to say no and you should not feel bad about it. When you start saying no to certain things, you may start feeling less stressed as you have started to lift the weight off your shoulders.
5. Prioritize Some Me Time
Self-care is so important when it comes to finding a good work-life balance for yourself. You need to prioritize some of your time only dedicated to relaxing and doing things that you want to do. This can help you to feel much more positive and relaxed. Even if your calendar is looking very busy do not make that stop you from taking your own me time. You still need this time to yourself.
You can even put this time that you have put aside on your calendar so that you can keep track of your time. Even an hour a day can be good, this could be something simple like watching your favorite show, or something stress reducing such as meditating for 30 minutes etc.
If you are interested in choosing the right & futuristic Career Path for yourself… Wanting to align your career, attain your unique Career Niche Clarity & to achieve a work-life balance, try Job Readiness Blueprint programme today.