Technology has become both a blessing and a curse. While it allows us to better connect with the people around us, it can also make us feel like we are always accessible. If you want to check your work email, you can do it at any time on your smartphone.
In fact, that smartphone will probably vibrate and make a noise every time you get a work email, text or notification. More and more people are finding it difficult to achieve a healthy balance between work and life, but it can be done. Here are a few tips for balancing these two aspects of your life.
Identify what truly matters.
In order to achieve work-life balance, you must first identify what is important to you personally and professionally. For example, instead of volunteering at three different charities, could you focus your time and energy on one? Maybe you are asked to go to lunch three times a week and you feel rushed every time to get there. If so, could you consider one day a week? Are you working on priorities that help drive the overall goals of your department or company?
It takes time, but your daily and weekly activities must be fully reviewed and categorized in order to maximize your day and enjoy your off time.
Get organized.
Be sure you have a plan to guide your work and your free time. Separate calendars to track work and family commitments can lend structure to your life and help you to feel less pulled in different directions. A calendar can also help avoid double-booking activities. An added benefit of writing down activities is that you can help remind yourself what your priorities are and what you should focus on daily, weekly or monthly.
Set your boundaries and then respect them.
If you want to leave work at the office, but you are constantly bringing it home with you, you have not established your own boundaries. If you find yourself being pulled away from your life by work emails, even when you are supposed to be off duty, make it so that your phone does not alert you or does not sync your mailboxes after a certain time. Most devices now have a quiet hours function that allows you to decide when you want to hear notifications from different apps and functions.
Understand the necessity of switching off.
Studies have shown that people actually perform better at work if they truly take time off, whether they actually go on vacation or simply just leave work at the office and do not bring it home with them. You do not have to feel guilty for needing to take some time away from work. Everyone needs to, and when you do return to work, you will probably be more effective. You have to realize that you simply cannot devote yourself all of the time to everything you do. You have to choose one activity or the other and create a mental division between the two.
Give yourself personal time.
Most people think of the “life” portion of the work/life balance concept as spending time with family and friends. It’s just as necessary to spend time alone, without work bearing down on you. Take some time for yourself, whether you watch your favorite television show, go for a walk, or read a book for a few hours.
Balancing your work and your life may feel impossible, especially as technology makes it easy for work to impose on your life. To live a healthy, productive and happy life and career, you need to make these two realms of your life balanced. There will be times when one will be more demanding than the other, but you need to learn to come back to your priority list. Doing so will help you enjoy all aspects of your life.
