None of us wants to become a stooped frustrated workhorse who only counts the days left until retirement. Unfortunately, it is easy if we have no right balance between our personal and professional life. The expression work-life balance means an ideology of harmonious combination of these two important spheres of life. How to do this efficiently?
These five following tips may help you keep optimum balance.
- Set priorities. Define yourself with utter honesty, think what counts the most for you in life and what you want to devote most of your time and energy to. Think also what is less important for you. There is no one right way here. Depending on individual predisposition and personality, it may be your home and family, your career, personal development, travel, or many other things.
- Separate work from your personal life. First and foremost, do not work at home if it is not absolutely necessary. Likewise, at work do not focus on private issues, unless something really important is happening. Leaving work try to leave your work-related thoughts also there. I do not advocate extremism here, of course, sharing your professional ups and downs with your family and friends may be really helpful. ;)
- Plan your tasks sensibly. This concerns both your schedule at work and at home. Unfinished tasks make you feel bad and frustrated. Therefore, completing fewer tasks will produce much better effects with regard to your performance and satisfaction. In consequence you will gain a lot of self-complacency and energy for another day.
- Remember about physical activity. Or in other words about ‘airing’ your head. Physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, reduces stress and improves our health. Even if you are a coach potato, think about finding some physical activity or sports that will be really rewarding to you.
- Rest. Do not accumulate leave days, use the so-called ‘long weekends’ and try to relax completely in your leisure time. These do not have to be expensive foreign trips. A short trip to the countryside may also be a great opportunity for rest.
Working overtime and then getting into a bragging match with your friends about who saved more leave days last year is not a praiseworthy thing. Work-life balance is a simple method that will help you feel satisfaction both in your professional and private life for many years.