Correctly balancing your professional and personal life is not exactly easy. In fact, it is often those who are the most successful in life that end up having the most problems with correctly striking such a balance. Aiming to do so however is very much worth it. Not only is there the argument that money doesn't mean that much if you don't have any time to enjoy it, there's also the matter of your health. All work and no play makes Jack die a lot younger. Should you be interested in the idea of striking a more balanced equation between your hours on the job and your hours spent actually living, here are a few tips that should help you to get started.
Talk to Your Boss
Some people jump to the conclusion that working less hours will require them to quit their job. Although this is occasionally the case, it is certainly not always so. If you have proven yourself to be a valuable member of your companies workforce, chances are your manager isn't going to want to let you go. Provided you are firm about what you want, perhaps arrangements can be made for you to cut down on your hours. Although, it's possible your manager won't be able to help you, you have very little to lose by broaching the subject with him.
Set Strict Limits
When there is work to be done, the urge will always be there to work late but while working late occasionally is perfectly reasonable, if you are working late more often than you are not, chances are your personal life is suffering. You should set limits regarding how late into the evening you can work and you should obey them religiously. If you are not able to meet your deadlines within these set periods of time, you might need to accept that achieving a better work life balance might require that you hand in your resignation.
Improve Your Time Management
Although most people find that they are overworked due to simply having too much on their plate at their job, for others, the problem is that they cannot efficiently manage their time. Regardless of what field you work in, you should start each day by listing the most important things that you need to get done. You should then work on them in the order of their importance. The idea behind doing so is that each day, you always get what really matters done.
Consider Changing Your Job
If you do find that the only way that you can cut down on your hours is to start working elsewhere, there is no need to immediately consider a career change, for many people, a company change is all that is required. Regardless of what field you are working in, the workload attached to the job will never be universal across all companies. You should be able to find another company to work for where you can continue to do the same thing, but simply not do quite so much of it.
Learn to Switch Off
A poor work life balance can often be caused not just by having too much work but by having too much stress associated with that work. If you find that you cannot relax during the times that you are supposed to be living your life, it does not matter how much you cut down on your hours. Although this is certainly easier said than done, your goal should be to allow yourself to switch off at the end of the day. You should aim to accept that any problems at work should be left behind you when you head home.
Remove Non Essential Tasks from Your Schedule
Although there are many types of work that are anything but optional, many people spend far too much time working on tasks that they could easily avoid doing. If you can afford it, you should consider hiring a maid to remove house cleaning from your schedule. If you order your groceries online, you can avoid traipsing around the supermarket one night a week.
Avoid Cutting Back on Sleep
Some people try to cut back on sleep in an effort to have more time available to themselves outside of work. Unfortunately, the logic behind doing so is flawed at best. Unless you happen to be a robot, cutting back on sleep is just going to make you less productive and therefore in need of additional time to complete your tasks each day.
Learn to Maximize the Time You Have
Many people like to use the excuse that they don't have time to do the things that they love. But they are often the same people that spend hours on front of the television every night. There is very little point in increasing the time that you have available for you to actually live your life if you are just going to waste that time doing nothing.
Find a Job That You Love
Finally, one way of striking the perfect work/life balance is to combine the two completely. What if you spent all day doing something that you love? Although finding such a job is certainly not easy, and perhaps not even possible for many people, it is definitely something worth considering. The primary reason that most people want a better work/life balance is that doing so would enable them to pursue their hobbies and interests. What if you could do so while you work? The idea might sound ridiculous, but many people do manage to turn it into a reality.
About The Author:
Nik Lemmens, an avid blogger, provides career coaching tips through his website. Click here to access his years of experience in career development.
