6 Tips To Achieve Lifelong Work-Life Balance
Written by: Elena Antonovska, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
These days, the balance between business and personal life is seemingly impossible to achieve. Technology, job insecurity, lack of employees, workload, market conditions, etc. they increase the level of stress but also the length of working hours. At the same time, the dynamism of life in general, expectations, desires, tendencies, ambitions, etc. have the same, stressful effect on us. All of these can affect relationships, health, and happiness.
In any case, each of us is different as an individual, so balance is also an individual category. We believe this article will give you some direction to create a balance that works for you personally.
Let's first define what work-life balance is not:
Balance between business and personal life does not mean an equal share of time. Trying to allocate an equal number of hours to each of your various business and personal activities is usually thankless and unrealistic. Life should be more fluid.
The best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The actual balance today is likely to be different tomorrow. The actual balance for a single person will be different compared to a person who is married or has children.
There is no perfect, one-size-fits-all balance that we should strive for. The best balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.
However, at the core of the definition of effective balance are two key everyday concepts that are relevant to each of us. They are daily achievements and enjoyment, ideas almost deceptive in their simplicity. These two concepts answer the most important question in life: "Why is something important to me?" (more income, house, car, job, relationship...)
Most of us have an idea of what achievement means. But what about enjoyment? Is it just a moment of instant gratification or happiness? In a live context, enjoyment would mean pleasure, happiness, celebration, love, and well-being. In a few words, a feeling of life's joy. And these two concepts always go together. The secret is to find and achieve meaningful achievements and celebrate them every day. It applies to all aspects of our lives: work, family, friends, and ourselves... And then, empower other people and help them do the same for their own lives. These are simple concepts that can be easily applied. Below are a few more directions that may be useful to you.
1. Forget perfectionism
Strong, self-reliant, independent, and hard-working people often develop perfectionist attitudes and habits, which further make a mess of their life. Life is certainly not perfect and not made that way. Perfectionism can become destructive, get you stuck in the status quo, give you complexes, and even bring you to burnout.
2. Disconnect
From all technology, work messages, responsibilities, correspondence, replies... Be unavailable for some part of the time. By not reacting to all the news and notifications, you will develop greater resilience and thus an increased sense of control over your life. You have no obligation or responsibility to be available all the time in just one part of your life because every segment of life requires your attention. Therefore, create quality time spent, especially with those who are near and dear to you.
3. Exercise and meditate
Look at the activities that seem unimportant or superfluous to you, like the need for food, sleep, or showering, even though we may not understand what they do for us, and it is of benefit to us. Exercise is a great stress reducer. It releases endorphins throughout our body, thereby improving our mood. At the same time, it can easily put you into a meditative state. Or, just meditate. Or, do yoga. And, if the lack of time really presses you, you can start with breathing exercises and 10 minutes of meditation. The most important thing is to start taking care of yourself, again, every day.
4. Don't waste your time aimlessly
Set your priorities. Think about what is most important to you. This list will be different for everyone, so make sure these are your priorities, not someone else's. Set firm boundaries for yourself to ensure that you devote enough focus, attention, and energy to the people and activities that matter most to you. There are ways, what is important is commitment. Everything else is secondary and best left out of your schedule. The better you are with yourself, the better you will be with others. You can't give what you don't have, whether it's time, money, love, or anything else.
Example of Time Thieves:
Cleaning and tidying up,
Talking to distant relatives
Sorting out the computer and email
Surfing the Internet
Spending days preparing for work by getting more information.
5. Change the structure of your life
The comfort zone is usually recognized by the routine. Habits change. Ask yourself what do you need to change to make your life easier? Give up the idea of doing everything by yourself, and delegate. Delegation is always a win-win situation. By doing so, you not only divert responsibilities but also create a support group, a team that is on your side.
6. Start small
Drastic, extreme changes are never long-term. Don't force yourself and get frustrated. Start with the measure you can handle. You need to see that you can do it, that you succeed, and then increase the dose. Start with the measure that suits you.
What could you start with:
Do small things immediately
Laugh
A lunch break is a lunch break
Optimize workflow
Focus on the positive
Use the time while commuting to work
Be active
Make the most of your vacations
Everything you do is for you. Positive or negative. Choose wisely.
We wish you harmony and success!
Elena Antonovska, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Elena Antonovska is International Coach Federation – Professional Certified Coach with the main focus on deep transformation through coaching and other methods and developing individual leadership potential, widening the perspective and supporting motivation, creativity & connection. She is a Personal & Professional Development Mentor, Master Teacher with a vast knowledge of the human nature and methods of working with it. She acquires her professional experience in various business environments in the field of communication, coaching, training, entrepreneurship, and practical approaches in personal & professional development. She brings the experience, knowledge, and understanding to her work with leaders.
