In today’s world, more and more of us are finding ourselves working in jobs that can be considered to be ‘always on’ sorts of jobs. How then, do we manage to balance work and home life? It can be a challenge at the very least.
Each day, millions of us try to deal with that question. Leaders also wrestle with this conundrum. It can be a difficult issue to find answers for because they can vary.
Trying to balance home and work can also be something of a stressor. This is something that some people worry over on a daily basis. That can lead to a multitude of mental and physical conditions if not handled. It can also cause a variety of stress-related symptoms – like sweating too much, high blood pressure, anxiety, and more. There are solutions for those symptoms – SweatBlock (towelettes can reduce the amount you sweat for a period of 4 – 7 days), a variety of medications for high blood pressure, and several different anxiety medications. However, that is just treating the symptoms. You still have the cause to worry about.
Here are a few tips that can help you manage to balance work and home life with as little stress as possible.
Be Upfront When It Comes to Your Needs
The first thing you should do is to find out what really matters and to communicate it to those it effects. Trying to hide it and expecting others to guess what you need can only exacerbate the situation.
For example, if you are a working mother, and you need to leave right at 5 in the afternoon so that you and your family can have dinner together, or if you need to pick your child up from school early due to an illness, you need to be able to communicate it to your boss. Having an open dialogue with managers can help everyone involved find the balance that is necessary.
Respect the Boundaries of Others
It is difficult to achieve a balance between your work life and home life if you don’t respect your own boundaries. Yes, it can be hard at first, but if you stick with it, you will form a habit that can drive a lifestyle that can be predicted and depended upon. Keep in mind that there will always be something else that you can be doing. There will always be one more email or problem to deal with. You need to respect your own boundaries first if you expect anyone else to respect them.
Understand What is Important
Think about all of those times when you may have seen people working too hard on things that just aren’t that important. It can be said that time is the utmost commodity we each have in our lives. It is incredibly precious, and no amount of money can purchase more. That being said – we don’t need to be wasting it. We need to be focusing on the things that are truly important. This is true both for our work life and for our home life. Take a good hard look at your day and make the most of every single second. This might require you to have a higher degree of structure and planning, but you can do it.
Embrace Your Off Button
Nearly every single piece of tech we use is equipped with an off button – so make use of it. This might just turn out to be the hardest thing for a lot of people. So, do it in steps. Try to start with not bringing your phone to the table when you eat. Don’t take your iPad to the beach when you are on vacation. Doing this will give you perspective.
Pace Yourself
If you want to have a happy, productive, healthy, and long life, you need to know how to pace yourself. Recognize that you aren’t in a race and there are times when you really need to slow down. Pacing yourself will allow you to enjoy the actual journey as well as reaching your destination.
Life is filled with worry and angst. Learn when to charge ahead and when to pull back. You’ll be happier and so will those around you.
It’s never easy trying to find a balance.
Great tips thanks for sharing , its def a hard thing to balance !