Compromises, and even what might be termed sacrifices, are just a standard part of everyday life in the 21st century. Trying to raise a family and have a career means that you can’t have it all; something has to give. Or at least, that’s how it might appear to some people, and that’s how it certainly was for a long time. However, today things are different and becoming better all the time. This is thanks to technology in part; technology allows us to work from home, for example, enabling us to have a better split between our personal and professional lives.
It’s also down to the fact that employers and employees alike have realized that happy workers are productive workers and that, when you really think about it, there is more to life than a job. You can’t spend all your time working because you’ll miss out on too much and have too many regrets when you look back.
With this in mind, knowing how crucial it is to make the right work-life balance for you, here are some tips to get started. It’s such a strange concept to many who have been working traditionally for a long time that it can be a challenge, but it will be worth it in the end.
Make a Plan
If you try to have a fair work-life balance without having a plan in place, you’ll find that your work begins to seep into your home life and vice versa, and eventually, one will win over the other, which can lead to problems. By planning carefully and splitting your time in the right way, you’ll have a much better work-life balance.
Your plan will include the set working hours you or your employer has given you. It will contain the time you want to go to bed and get up in the morning and the time that you want to spend with your family or dedicate to hobbies. When all added up, this should come to 24 hours.
Combine What You Can
Although multitasking might have been debunked as a helpful tool and is actually seen as something that causes much less productivity because you cannot fully focus on more than one thing at a time, combining two things together – not multitasking exactly – can be helpful when it comes to creating the ideal work-life balance. It might take a little more time to organize, but it will also give you more time to do what is needed, so it’s a good idea.
An example of this idea working could be that you want to meet up with friends, but you have a meeting to attend. If you can arrange your meeting in a public space, such as a coffee shop, and then have your friends meet you there afterward, you’re combining two tasks into one and saving time, as well as ensuring a good mix of work and home life. Another example is gift-giving. Often, you’ll need to give a gift to a client, but what if you also need to give a gift to a loved one? Finding one that would be suitable for both, such as a Scent Magic subscription, means only having to go to one website and do one search but still having two gifts organized.
Say No
It’s not easy to say no to people when they ask you to do something. How many times have you agreed to work late or take on another assignment when in reality, you just need to get home? Most people have done this, and although they might feel it’s just part of their job, the truth is you don’t have to say yes. You can – and should – say no.
Saying no isn’t about being impolite, and you certainly don’t have to be rude about it. However, saying no could be the difference between a wonderful day out with your family or a good meal with a date and working. Sometimes no is the only answer.