Do you ever stop and pause and think, “wow, life is flying by,” or “time goes by so fast”? If you answered yes, you might feel like you’re spending your life working and watching the rest of your life pass by. You need to create a healthy work-life balance to get out and enjoy all the things you love doing. But, balance is not something you find; it’s not something that works itself out. You need to make it happen. That work-life balance you desire it’s something you create.
Here are four things you can start doing today to help you create a work-life balance that works for you:
Perfectly imperfect:
To create a healthy work-life balance, you have to let go of your perfectionism. You can’t be the perfect boss, the perfect employee, the perfect spouse, the perfect mom, the perfect housekeeper, etc. As responsibilities in life (both professional and personal) increase, the idea of perfection becomes too hard to reach. You’ll find yourself stressed, and soon enough, the pressure to be perfect will become overwhelming and lead to burnout. Forbes recommends striving for excellence rather than perfection. My recommendation – give yourself grace!
Put an end to your workday:
With technology advances, it’s hard to end the workday. You might shut off your computer or close your laptop, but do you ever unplug from your phone? Can you ignore that text, email, or message from a client late at night? Are you truly ending your workday? This goes along with setting boundaries, but you must also follow your boundaries. When your workday is over, unplug.
Delegate tasks and outsource help:
Are there tasks you can pass off? Are there things in the house you can ask for help from your partner or your children? Or, are there tasks in your home you can outsource, like hiring a cleaner or a food service a few days a week? In business, are there tasks you can delegate or outsource to focus on other areas while also providing someone on your team the opportunity to grow and develop their skills (and make your team stronger)? You don’t have to do it all on your own; lean on your people!
Start small:
Like anything in life, change won’t happen overnight. Start with small changes and work towards your goal. Taking extreme measures will only set you up for failure. For example, if you’re missing every family dinner, make it a plan to make it to 2 family dinners a week instead of all of them. If you’re working 80 hours a week, make it a goal to work 70 hours instead of cutting back to 40 hours. Start with small changes and see the little successes and benefits of creating a better work-life balance.
Don’t live life waiting for the perfect time to make changes. Life can get so busy with work and home responsibilities that it can be hard to find a way to balance it all. Get out there, enjoy it, and go for what you desire and deserve.
