Work Life Balance – 5 Tips To Improve It

When work begins to consume most of your life, it may be time to take a step back and evaluate what is really important. Whether most of your time and energy spent working is due to your own doing or your boss’, you shouldn’t neglect other areas of your life. If there is a lack of balance, all areas of your life will begin to fail and in the end, you and your family will be miserable. In this article, I’m going to give you 5 strategies for a better work life balance. You’ll have the information you need to begin improving aspects of your life that need your attention.

1 – Set Boundaries To Improve Your Work Life Balance

The first thing you need to do is set firm boundaries when it comes to work. When you leave the office or when you shut down your computer in your home office, you need to let it go until the next morning. Set rules to keep you focused on other areas of your life instead of work. Here are some boundaries and rules that can get you started.

• I will not check my work mail between the hours of 5 pm and 7 am.
• I will spend my time after work with my family and only my family.
• If I don’t finish something at work by the time work ends, it can wait until the next day.

2 – Learn to Say “NO”

When work calls and asks you to do more, or when someone asks you to participate in something that will throw off your life balance, say “no”. You don’t have to join that working group or sign up to lead the PTA. When you learn to say no, your work life balance will improve.

3 – Schedule Everything

Take a look at your calendar. If you only have scheduled doctor’s appointments and meetings then your work life balance is probably way out of whack. Make it a habit to schedule personal and family time. Put it right on the calendar. It’s perfectly okay to schedule things like “Dinner” or “Movie Night”.

4 – Stop Feeling Guilty

I spend a lot of time working on blogs and planning out my social media strategy. Sometimes I feel I always have to do something for my business. Even if I’m overwhelmed.  If I’m not working on my business, I don’t deserve to get ahead, right? Wrong. Sometimes you just have to walk away and leave the guilt behind. It’s very important for work life balance to let work be work, and drop it without feeling guilty. After all, what are you doing all this for in the first place? This is especially true for business owners. Sometimes you feel like your business is your baby, and that you should constantly nurture, and grow it. It’s okay to take a break and walk away. As a matter of fact, it’s healthy to do so. When you come back, you’ll be more motivated and focused.

5 – Improve Work Life Balance By Making Time For You

It’s also important to schedule time for you. I put “Personal Time” on my calendar. Schedule time to do something that you enjoy doing. Make it about you and focus on self-care.

Conclusion

Sometimes we can get so overwhelmed that we forget what is most important to us. If you feel like all you ever do is work or focus on work, use these 5 strategies to improve your work life balance.