5 Tips to Achieving a Better Work-Life Balance

Juggling. The one sought after trick that we tried effortlessly to master as children. Keeping those little balls up in the air while keeping your motions in sync. I don’t know about you,  but my juggling acts always found the balls tumbling to the ground while my parents continued clapping in an effort to encourage me to keep trying. The good old days.

Today, juggling has taken on a whole new meaning. The tireless attempts at juggling your work-life to ensure no balls get dropped- EVER. It can be daunting and hideously exhausting. It can even feel impossible at times. This may sound a bit like a Public Service Announcement, but, there is hope.  Achieving a healthy balance can allow you to be a much more efficient and respected partner, parent, employee, and friend. We’ve compiled 5 tricks and tweaks to help you maintain that smooth sailing lifestyle you are seeking.

  1. Ditch the guilt! This is by far the hardest one to conquer. The romantic facade of  superwoman/man who takes on all of life’s little challenges with charm, ease, and grace is simply BOLLOCKS! If you have to miss an occasional recital or a colleague’s going away party, it is perfectly acceptable. Leave the fictional characters to Hollywood. Be your best you, not the you that society tells you to be.
  2. Be Completely Open. Transparency is key. Communicate your needs. It is completely relevant and necessary to identify your wishes in order to create a balance that is suitable to your lifestyle and those of your family. Do you need to leave no later than 5pm daily to ensure that your children’s activities and dinner plans are met? That needs to be imparted to your management to ensure everyone’s satisfaction. There is never anything wrong with not constantly being a “yes” person.
  3. Tame your Technology. Technology can be both a curse and a blessing. The constant contact can help you in your career goals, but can most definitely hinder your family-life balance. Every piece of technology has an “off” switch. USE IT. When it is time to step away from busy employee mode and put on the family hat, wear it with pride. Set your priorities, and observe them firmly.
  4. Telecommute. Working from home a few days a week can drastically change your life and stress levels. You gain valuable time and in return offer more efficiency to the task at hand. It ensures that you give your work your undivided attention for longer stretches of time. Talk to your employer about collaborating a work from home schedule.
  5. Sleep. Zombies are for TV shows, not for real life. You are good to no one if you are running on empty. Studies have shown that when you suffer from sleep deprivation, you are much more likely to make feeble decisions, and your inefficiency rate skyrockets. Climb into bed early and get the proper hours of zzzzz’s that your body needs to be productive.

Although these may sound elementary, the execution of each task is crucial. It’s one thing to say, and another thing to do. Make today the day you implement at least one of these into your daily routine and unleash the inner rock star!