Top Five Tips for the Perfect Work Life Balance

Striking the perfect work-life balance is like searching for the elusive and mythical Atlantis. You feel that you are almost there and then all of a sudden you find yourself totally at sea. On the other hand, there is also the pressure of being a super employee/mum/dad/husband/wife that we are all living under in today’s age, due to which we are stretching ourselves thin trying to do everything and be everything, and somehow miserably failing in the process.

Realizing that you are after all only human, and not a fictional super hero, and doing things that bring you the maximum happiness will help you strike the perfect balance between your work and personal life. Some practical tips that will help you cut down stress and bring back health and harmony to your life follow.

Prioritize: Everything on your to-do list is not and cannot be equally important. Pick out three to five things at the beginning of each day that are actually important and need to be urgently attended, and be happy at the end of the day if the prioritized items get checked. Trying to accomplish each and everything, from making an important presentation to picking up the laundry, all on the same day will take a toll on your health and your personal time. It will also lead to a sense of failure since some things on an unending list may often remain undone. Prioritizing and sticking to your priorities will help you stay focused and stress free.

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Say No: The whole core of work-life balance lies on the premise of doing only things that really need to be done or make you happy. Taking on extra work just because you are unable to say “No” to anyone is the easiest way of running yourself into the ground. The next time someone asks you to help out when you are already short on time or energy, just say no firmly yet politely and move on to carry out the more important tasks in your life.

Relax: Your health and mental state are the first sufferers of a skewed work-life balance. Spending too many extra hours at work and not paying enough attention to diet and exercise will show up in the form of illness sooner than you think. Take time out to take care of yourself, eat on time, exercise a little and practice stress management techniques like meditation or yoga in order to keep yourself physically fit and healthy. This is an important prerequisite to success both in the professional and personal arenas.

Take Time Out For Family And Friends: After you, your family is the immediate sufferer of a work-life imbalance. In most cases, we end up devoting too much time to work to find time for ourselves and our family. It is because of this reason that some family time should be built into your “priority” list of things to do almost every day. Spending time with family and friends is not just good for you and your kids, it will also lead to the creation of a strong support system that you can fall back on in case of hard times.

Take Time Out For Things You Enjoy: Schedule some time every day or every week to indulge in something that you enjoy doing. This could be an old hobby or involve picking up something new that you have always wanted to do. Be ready to sacrifice some extra working hours to get in this “me” time. In the long run, you will notice that doing something enjoyable out of the work and family sphere, only for yourself, will increase your productivity and make you more at peace with yourself.

 

Remember that work-life balance, like life itself, is constantly changing. You will need to analyse periodically whether a state of harmony exists between your work and personal life and make changes accordingly from time to time in order to be happy and successful. Keeping things balanced will not only make you less stressed and increase positivity, but will also contribute to both short and long term health and happiness.

How to Fall in Love with your Life

This Valentine’s, it is time to dig yourself out of the pile of work, responsibility and drudgery that you have immersed yourself into and to make the world a better place for yourself. By loving yourself, you give yourself the most important gifts of love, health and happiness. There must be a thousand ways to fall in love with your life once again. A few tips given here will just point you in the right direction.

Start Living In The Present: Mourning the loss of a loved one or something that happened in the past and waiting for a promotion, shifting into a new house or buying a new car are all normal human actions. However, they often take away the importance of the present in which we live. Seize the moment, because there are no guarantees that whatever you are waiting for will bring you happiness. Liking and loving the people and the situation that you are in right now will make you a positive person who looks forward to things in life instead of waiting in limbo for them.

Rediscover Your Relationship With Your Partner: Our relationships have the power to rule our emotions. Rekindling your relationship with your partner can bring back immense joy and excitement to your life. Relive the first flush of love by calling your partner at least twice or thrice a day when you are at work, giving them small surprise gifts, making them their favorite dish, writing a poem or going on impromptu romantic dates.

Love What You Do: We spend most of our waking hours at work, so it is important that you love what you do in order to be happy in life. If you are not satisfied with your job, ask yourself what you are doing there. A home loan or a bad market should not be a hindrance to changing jobs. Better still, do things that will make you like your job, like giving yourself a pat on the back for every task well done, giving up analyzing every failure and moving on, and prioritizing your list of things to do in such a manner that you always leave office with the most important jobs completed.

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Make Friends With Your Coworkers: Being friends with your co workers (we are sure there must at least be a few worth befriending), will turn the workplace into a place of fun, enjoyment and camaraderie instead of being a prison for you. Having someone to share office frustrations and jokes will make you look forward to going to office everyday, and help you de-stress before you come back home.

Start Exercising: Exercise releases endorphins. These are hormones that make you feel good and happy. Exercising regularly leads to weight loss, better self image and a healthy mind and body.

Pick Up Something New: Add some excitement to your life by picking up a new hobby. Take up photography, join dance classes, pick up a sport, draw, paint, sing, cook, decorate, bake, walk or run! Take up something that gets you excited, and get passionate about it.

Keep Challenging Yourself: Taking up small challenges like solving the daily crossword or Sudoku puzzle and succeeding at them will give you a sense of achievement, purpose and happiness. Needless to say, such activities also go a long way in keeping your brain young and healthy.

Laugh: No matter where we are or what we are doing, there is always humor in the situation. We only need to find it. If you really do not find humor in your life, join a laughter club. Better still, be ready to be funny and silly and spend time with people who have a sense of humor. Laughing releases feel-good hormones that reduce pain, brings down blood pressure and helps the body de-stress, leading to a healthier and happier you!