Recently I have read several posts asking the question: WORK-LIFE BALANCE – DOES IT EXIST?
The answer to the question in each of those posts was NO. Perhaps even more surprising was that many of the comments agreed with the authors.
It made me kind of sad to think that so many people found it unattainable. Essentially without a work-life balance, you are being forced to choose between making a living and the life you want to live.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. See more details here.
I am here to tell you that work-life balance is in fact possible. Yes, it is something you have to strive for. But, that by no means, makes it impossible to achieve. Yes, there are various seasons of life, and you won’t always accomplish a perfect balance. However, work-life balance is not only possible, but it is necessary if you want to do more than simply sustain your life.
This is your one and only chance at life! You owe it to yourself to learn how to take control of your life. After all, you deserve to live a life filled with what matters most to YOU! Here are seven simple ways to bring work-life balance to your life.
1. Productivity
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is that they look at time management and productivity as a way to accomplish more work. However, productivity is not about being able to do more work, rather, it is about being able to do the work you have in less time.
Learning how to manage your time, allows you to accomplish more tasks in a shorter period of time. By being able to do more in less time, you clear space to fill your life with those things that matter most! This is what work-life balance is all about.
Will there be days when work consumes you more than you would like? Yes. This, however, does not have to be the norm. You see when you are purposeful with your time, these types of days are the exception and not the rule.
There is a lot of information out there on time management tips. If you need help click here for some tips I use to manage my time and stay productive.
The number one thing is to get yourself a good planner. There are many, many planners available today, a quick Amazon search will bring up a variety of styles and price points. My personal favorite is the Living Well Planner. I literally manage my entire life in this planner.
I also have a downloadable planner offer for free to my newsletter subscribers. You can join the newsletter by clicking below!
2. Set Your Priorities
The second key towork-life balance requires you to be clear on what your priorities are. When you lack a clear focus on your priorities, it is far too easy to find yourself working for the sake of working or working to gaining more and more. This pursuit of more is exactly what hinders balance in life.
On the other hand, when you have a clear picture of your priorities it becomes easy to say no to the more, to the excess, so that you can truly enjoy what matters. But you will never know when enough is enough if you don’t define your priorities.
Keep in mind that because we all have our own priorities, there is no one size fits all definition of balance. What constitutes balance for one, may not be a balance for another. Determine your own priorities to find your own balance.
Remember that just as your priorities change in different seasons of life, so will your idea of balance. But the fact that it may look different tomorrow than it does today, does not mean you cannot achieve it.
Click here are some great questions to ask yourself to ensure you’re clear on your priorities and values.
3. Schedule Your Downtime
Our calendars are generally filled with our “necessary” appointments and to-do lists. But, the third key to work-life balance involves scheduling time for those things that matter most to you.
When you get in the habit of specifically scheduling, on your calendar, things that bring balance to your life, you’ll do them. It really is that simple!
Take some time to make a list of the things that you want more of and write them down. Then start filling in your calendar with those activities
Remember I said work-life balance requires you to be purposeful. If you’re not, it won’t take long to get sucked into the plans and priorities of others or the needs of the moment.
Take ownership of YOUR time today. Calendar something that brings you joy and fills up your soul.
4. Be Mindful of What is Taking Your Time
Think of it this way, are you going to spend your money on a purchase that has no or little value? I love the analogy of paying $100 for a pack of gum. If you’re asked to do that, of course, you would walk away. Clearly, the value of a pack of gum is not worth $100 of your hard-earned money.
Look at managing the expenditure of your time as you do your money. In fact, you should manage your time even more carefully than you do your money. When your money is gone, you can go out and earn more money, but the same is not true of your time.
We are all given the same 24 hours a day. When those 24 hours are over that is it. You cannot go out and earn more time.
If you want to have a work-life balance stop spending your time on things that don’t bring you value. Valuing your time is the fourth key component to achieving a work-life balance.
If you are unsure what value, your current activities are adding to your life, imagine subtracting it from your life. If you find the activity had no real impact if it were not in your life, you know it has no real value.
Let go of those things that add no or little value to your life, but suck up your time.
5. Delegate
Delegating has never been my strong suit, in fact, sometimes I downright terrible at it. But when I do delegate I’m always thankful. By delegating what I’m able to, I ultimately accomplish so much more. As a consequence, I clear space for the things that I want to do.
Delegating includes more than just assigning specific tasks to other individuals. Think about all the activities you have to take care of on a regular basis. How much of your shopping can you do online. What about meal planning? There are some great services out there that will plan your meals for as little as $5. Can you delegate some of the housework to a cleaning service?
Think about all of the services or activities that you can hire out or assign to someone else?By delegating things that are not necessary for you to personally perform, you will free up more of your time to do those things that matter to you and bring balance to your life.
6. Set Limits and Stick to Them
A very modern problem that we have today is technology. With the ability to connect with anyone at any time from anywhere, work and home life can blur together. You must set limits as to your work time. When your work time has ended, that is it. Do not continue to respond to work-related emails and texts.
Have a very clear separation between work and home life by setting specific limits on when you will be available for work. Stick with those limits you have set. By doing so, you will greatly enhance your work-life balance.
7. Self-Care
I think the only thing that may make work-life balance impossible is failing to care for yourself. The reality is that if you’re not caring for yourself, it’s impossible to enjoy life to its fullest.
Make sure that you are eating a healthy diet. A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, will increase your energy and focus. It will also give you a sense of well-being.
Another key component of self-care is sleep. You’ll never effectively balance your life by burning the candle at both ends. In fact, you will achieve the opposite, insufficient sleep increases stress.
Take time just for you. Consider trading babysitting with a friend or family member so you can have some quiet me time. Do something to care just for you to ensure that you maintain balance in your life.
Remember that work-life balance does not mean you never fail or that you always have it perfectly together or that everything is always in perfect order. Work-life balance is about balancing your need to work and make a living with your need to live a life that you enjoy. Be purposeful in creating that balance with these simple steps!
Now go and do something to make today your Favorite day!!
