I see work/life balance or work/life fit as a bit of a seesaw, that ebbs and flows, or goes up and down. Despite our best efforts to put in place boundaries and stick to them both at work and at home, there are times when work needs more from us or home needs more of our focus.
Managing your professional and personal lives is critical to making the most of everything you do. Thinking critically about how you spend your time and energy is necessary for things to fit.
The challenge, in my household, is when work and home need me in equal measures! And that’s where I then need to prioritise. Is that the same for you?
A few tips:
- Time management. Look at your day or week. See where the demands are and think about how you can structure and protect your time.
- Set boundaries and expectations. Does the email you’re about to reply to need a response immediately, or can it wait until the next day? Finish work and make it clear on your out of office or with those with whom you work, when you’re available and when you’re not.
- Take 30 minutes to an hour for you. There is only so much time in a 24 hour period and for some of that you need to be sleeping, eating and resting. Understand what is essential, can wait and what can be delegated elsewhere. Take 30 minutes to an hour or whatever time you can afford, even 10 minutes a day, to step outside and get some vitamin D.
- Create a support network. With a period of my life as a single parent this one has been extremely important and still is. Who can you call upon to help when plan A doesn’t work and you need a plan B?
- Say no. Those of us who are natural people pleasers and helpers will want to make sure things are done with deadlines met. Be realistic in terms of your own energy and what’s possible in a given timeframe. Saying no, means you’re saying yes to something else such as putting those boundaries in place, managing expectations, cooking dinner with a loved one or enjoying a sport that takes you to your happy place!
