It can be hard to fit everything in – when you want to balance family, friends, work, travel and everything else, it can easily become overwhelming. I do think that work-life balance is something that always shifts. Sometimes you will have to focus a little more on your family and friends, due to a personal emergency or special time, and sometimes work will command a little more attention than usual. I think it’s about finding a balance that works for you and ensures that you have time for the things you love and the people you love. Whether you work with the best thermometer calibration services or in a high-stress industry like a hospital, finding a work-life balance is important. Here are my top 4 ways to find a healthy work-life balance.
1. Book in the Things You Love
We book in “important things” like our work hours, doctor’s appointments, things we have to do for others, but we so often forget to schedule in our own activities that we love. I find if I book something and put it in my calendar, then I make time for it. So you should sit down and think about the things you want to do regularly and start booking them in. We’re usually so much better at keeping our commitments to others than to ourselves, but it’s so important to make time for the things we love. Whether that’s time every night for reading a book, or going to a sports class once a week, make a time for it and commit to yourself.
2. Work Smarter, Not Longer
There are some truths about work that apply for most people. For most of us, our productivity is best in the morning and slowly fades as the day goes on, only worsening in the afternoon. If this proves true for you, why not use this to your advantage and do your most challenging work earlier in the day when you have more energy and concentration? You’ll need great work instructions to get started, but I find getting the boring or hard stuff done faster means by the time my work end time rolls around I’m ready to run out the day and shift into my personal time.
3. Be Realistic
There’s nothing worse than expecting too much of yourself, planning it all in and feeling completely exhausted. We all need to rest and I personally need at least 8 hours sleep a night otherwise other areas of my life become affected. I also know that I only like to have one social event per day, otherwise, I start to feel my energy levels become depleted. Work with yourself and be realistic as to what your limits are. You don’t want to burn yourself out.
4. Make Fun a Priority
Spending time with friends and family is one of life’s biggest joys. You will quickly learn that if you don’t schedule things in, they simply don’t happen. Everyone around us is trying their best to juggle everything too, which makes it hard to find a time where we’re all available and can hang out. Schedule times to see each other or set up regular hang times so that you know you’ll see each other frequently, no matter how crazy life gets.
Finding balance will help you feel more relaxed in your day-to-day life and ensure that you’re having enough fun to balance out all the stress and commitments you have.
