Work-life balance is a concept that has been around for years, but it’s still something many people struggle with. Some people find this balance naturally and enjoy their careers without it being too much of a burden on their personal life. However, others find themselves working long hours at the office or putting off important family responsibilities in order to get ahead.
Take inventory of your time
In order to figure out where you need to make changes and tradeoffs, it’s important to take a look at your current routine. Write down all the things that you do in a day. Be honest with yourself about how much time you spend on work-related tasks versus personal ones (and include activities like sleeping). Make sure there is enough time for hobbies and for family and friends as well.
Consider becoming a digital nomad
Digital nomads are people who, through their work, are able to move from place to place. They use technology and the internet to do their jobs remotely, making it possible for them to live anywhere in the world.
Essentially, living a digital nomad lifestyle means that you get to travel and live in different places while still having an income and being able to have comfortable housing wherever you’re at. You can work from anywhere as long as there is Wi-Fi or another reliable internet connection.
Make sure all your daily tasks are not urgent, but important
But how do you know what is urgent and what is important? The more urgent the task, the more likely it is to be something that needs immediate attention. Urgent tasks tend to be things like filing an expense report or fixing a broken printer. If your boss asks you to complete these tasks, they don’t want them done in five minutes—they want them completed now.
Important tasks, on the other hand, are often longer-term goals or projects that require some thought and planning before they can be completed. For example: writing a blog post might not seem like an important task at first glance (it doesn’t need immediate attention), but unless you have something good to say about work-life balance, why would anyone read it?
Set boundaries
If you’re new to the work-life balance game, it may be hard to know where to start. We all have different definitions of what “work” and “life” are, so take some time to define these terms for yourself. Once you’ve done that, think about how much time each week goes into each of those categories.
You can also set boundaries for the day: What hours do you want work and life balance? Where is your ideal balance point? These questions will help guide what boundaries need to be set in order for you to achieve your goals as far as work-life balance goes.
Once again, we must stress that this step should be taken before beginning any form of employment—if possible, before even accepting any job offers. If a company hasn’t provided clear guidelines on its expectations from employees regarding their personal lives, then it’s up to YOU as an individual employee who wants better work-life balance at home with loved ones or just alone relaxing after coming home from a long day at school or office.
Be creative with your time
Find new ways to use your time. You can look at the time you spend doing things like cleaning or cooking and try to find a way to make that time more efficient. For example, if you’re washing dishes by hand and it takes five minutes, then you should look into getting a dishwasher or investing in some soaps that cut down on water usage.
Make sure your work isn’t wasting your life. If you work from home (or plan on working from home), make sure that any outside activities are taking place during business hours only—or otherwise accounted for when planning out tasks for the day/week/month/year ahead of time).
Make money while working from home: there are plenty of opportunities out there where you can set up a part-time job that allows flexibility with scheduling while also making some extra cash on top of whatever side hustle income comes in around 8 hours per week.
This is especially true if someone needs help managing their housework (cleaning, laundry, cooking) – someone who might not be able to afford live-in employees but would love having access to one anyway. It’s also great because it gives people an opportunity who might not otherwise have one due to financial reasons (elderly parents); health issues preventing them from driving themselves around town; etc).
Know what you’re willing to sacrifice and what you’re not.
The first step is to know what you’re willing to sacrifice and what you’re not. Ask yourself: What do I value most? What are my priorities?
For example, if your top priority is family, then it might make sense for you to move closer to your parents or children so that they can see each other more often. Or perhaps a job with long hours may be worth sacrificing some sleep time every night as long as it means having enough money in the bank at the end of the month.
You also need to consider how much time off from work is reasonable for you—some people prefer working very few hours per week (like 20), while others can’t imagine doing less than 40 hours per week or even more than that. And if someone asks for help with something outside of work hours—whether that’s taking care of an elderly relative or helping organize an event—don’t feel guilty about saying yes.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember when you’re trying to achieve work-life balance is that you should never feel guilty about taking care of yourself. It doesn’t matter if your job demands 100% of your time or if it allows you a lot of flexibility. You deserve to be happy and healthy in both cases. So go ahead and try out some of these methods for yourself.
About the Author
Monica is a passionate writer and content creator. Her interests include outdoor activities, fitness, technology, entrepreneurship and everything in between. Say hi to Monica on Twitter @monical_lee.