Some people believe trying to balance one’s personal and professional life is a myth and cannot be achieved. Recent research carried out in the United Kingdom highlighted the effects of not having a work-life balance with 63% of managers reporting stress when employees take time out to work, and 67% of managers say their business suffer when employees work while sick.
Be assertive
Be confident with your responses, in a bid to come off as impressive, workers are quick to say yes to every task pushed their way, even when they should be saying no. it is important you identify and list your priorities. The inability to set boundaries will lead to work overload, and you will end up overwhelmed and doing more tasks inefficiently.
Leave work at work
Not every task would be completed within the workday; the ability to unplug from it all and take a break is important; this break would mostly involve a closure. You can always prepare your mind to complete the task the next day, write a to-do list and prioritise it. You should learn mind boundaries too, do not leave the office thinking about a number of work tasks you could be doing in your free time.
Work smarter
At the end of the day, what matters is the tasks that were effective and efficient not the number of tasks you were able to carry out. To achieve working smarter you have to prioritise tasks, set deadlines and as stated earlier, set boundaries. The idea that we can achieve perfection is one of the reasons people do not get to complete tasks effectively. You end up with a long list of incomplete tasks and very little time. Let go of this idea.
Define Work-Personal time
Work hours are clearly defined in employment contracts, not necessarily the usual 9-5, but employers will let you know how much time you should be putting into work daily. If not already defined ask that your employers do that. Learn the habit of detaching yourself from things, do not infringe on your personal time with work-related tasks and vice versa. After work hours do not check your emails, make your colleagues aware of this defined boundaries. You need that personal time to recoup your energy for the next day.
Listen to your health
Your wellbeing is very important in achieving both personal and professional tasks. Take a break every once in a while; you could meditate for a bit. You can make it a daily habit to exercise and just relax, and you can set a particular time of the day to ensure you follow up with it. You could also do some reading during this period; it will help boost your energy, creativity and focus.
Achieving a balance is a tough task and does not necessarily mean you are giving an equal percentage of the time, energy and concentration to both your personal and professional life but understanding boundaries and knowing when to let go is key to achieving a work-life balance.