Your job is important, not only because it provides you the funding to survive and live life but it also helps you achieve your life goals. When you are able to find a job that allows you to learn and grow in a field you desire, you are half way to a better work-life balance. So what’s the other half? Your life! In order to be successful at work, you have to be successful at life. Here are some excellent tips that will help you achieve a better work-life balance.
1) Let Go Of Perfectionism!
Perfection is something that can swallow your life whole because everything you do may not seem “perfect” in your eyes. Being perfect is simply a goal that you have set in your mind and is most likely unattainable. We often set bars too high for ourselves and when we don’t reach them we feel as if we failed ourselves and others. It’s time to let it go! Start off by telling yourself what needs to be done and then complete it, it does not have to be perfect. If you set a timeline and you’re ahead of schedule, spend that extra time working on it but do not spend extra time beyond that. That time is set aside for your life.
2) Exercise and Get Moving
Going on a 30 minute walk to the coffee shop and back is just enough time to clear your head and circulate your blood. We often overlook the importance of moving around because we want to keep working vigorously until the job is done but without movement, blood and oxygen doesn’t circulate as efficiently and our brains don’t work as well as they should. Spend at least 30 minutes a day exercising to clear your thoughts and improve your health.
3) Stop Activities That Waste Your Time
Our phones are amazing and the internet changed the face of the world but stop playing games online and getting distracted with online shopping! These are great for after work but when your mind stops focusing on work, it is very difficult to get it back up to speed. Eliminate activities that waste your time and energy and you will work more efficiently, thus allowing you to go home sooner and not stress about work.
4) Start Small and Build From There
Setting goals too high at first can make you feel like a failure if you don’t achieve it within your time line. It’s not fair on yourself to start too big when you may not reach that big. Starting small and building from there gives you milestones of success that you can track and evaluate. How long did it take? What do you need to improve? How will you achieve your next goal even quicker to spend more time with your family?
5) Build Downtime Into Your Every Day Schedule
Without downtime you cannot achieve a successful work-life balance. Downtime can also be time away from your family, friends and hobbies because that is still a schedule. Sometimes doing nothing but enjoying bad television or taking a long bath is needed for your brain to rest. Yes, even your brain needs a rest!
