Source: Dumb Little Man
Work, hobbies, family, alone time, fitness, romance, personal growth — people need time and mental energy to incorporate all of these things into our lives. The problem is that most of us don’t. We spend too much time on one or two of these at the sacrifice of everything else.
Because of that, things get thrown out of whack. We feel deprived and frustrated. The only cure is putting things back into balance. And while balance seems like something that can be easily done, it only gets tricky as you go ahead — unless you really go for it.
Here’s how to achieve a better work-life balance:
Create your top 5 list
If you could spend your days doing what you wanted, what would you do?
Think about the ways in which you would spend your time if you’re not obligated by bills or the demands of others. Consolidate this down to a list of five.
What you’ll have is a list of things that you truly care about. These are the things that make you happiest and that you prioritize above everything else. Use this as your touch tone.
You may not be able to get all 5 things into your schedule each day. Still, if these things aren’t making an appearance on your schedule regularly, you’re going to feel dissatisfied.
Once you’ve made your list, make a commitment to prioritizing the items on it. Be concrete in your approach. For example, instead of telling yourself that you will get to the first item on your list whenever you can, tell yourself that you will do it at least once a week.
Accept that something always has to go on the back burner
Remember that the idea is to find balance among all the things that are important to you. It isn’t about accomplishing everything perfectly all the time. That’s simply impossible.
Trying to accomplish everything and giving everything the same priority all the time is a recipe for frustration and burnout. Accept the fact that there will always be something that needs to be prioritized less or put on the back-burner altogether.
It’s okay to decide to let something go or even lower your standards a bit. For example, if your standards of cleanliness are extremely high, you might reconsider that in order to provide yourself more time to spend with your family.
Stop idolizing being overworked
• I stayed up all night working on these reports.
• I’ve already Logged 6 hours of overtime and it’s only Wednesday.
• Kevin is a real go-getter. He’s been here until 10 every night for a week.
• I haven’t taken a single personal day all year.
• I should go to the doctor for this cough, but the office would fall apart without me.
It’s a sad reality — many of us are working too many hours, working while sick, and not taking the time off when we need it. Worse, these unhealthy behaviors and choices are often seen as the norm and are even rewarded.
You don’t need to be the one who works the longest hours or take the least amount of time off to be a valuable player at work. It’s okay to prioritize self-care in order to be the best worker you can…
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