7 Ways To Achieve Work-Life Balance
Updated: Jun 18, 2024
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1. Prioritize your health
Your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing should be your priority. When you are overworked and tired, you lack energy and motivation and it prevents you from getting better. Prioritizing your health does not have to be extreme. It can simply be taking a week off for a deserved break, committing to a yoga or body pump class that you have always wanted to join, or morning meditation. Be consistent, stick to a healthy diet and get a good quality sleep and you will see how much more energy you will have.
2. Don't take your work home with you!
Digital technology has made it all too easy to fall into the trap of working 24/7, but the temptation to check on work emails in bed must be avoided at all costs. Once you get home, don't spend the rest of your day ruminating over what happened at the office. It achieves nothing and will only leave you more drained. Treat your home as a chill-out zone and try to have a strict cut-off point after which you don't look at your phone or other digital devices. Treat your time off as a reward that has been earned. This will lead to improved energy and focus, and your performance in the workplace can only benefit as a result.
3. Do your one non-negotiable
It is easy in our world where we are connected from the moment we wake until the moment we sleep. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an employer, or an employee foremost remember the reason we work is to live, not the other way around. Create a non-negotiable that you do for yourself every day. Yes, I actually mean every day! What fills your cup? There is no judgment it could be a bath, reading a book, running, walking the dog, or sitting in darkness. Every single day do your one non-negotiable and I guarantee this will bring balance into your life!
4. Fill your own cup first
Make sure you have in your schedule things that you enjoy doing & that are in alignment with what you desire. It’s so easy to get caught up with all the duties & taking care of everything & everyone else that we forget, at times, to schedule things that we enjoy doing & that are in alignment with what we desire. This is crucial for balance because the energy you need to fulfill your duties will also come from doing things that you enjoy. When what you do is in alignment with your desires, you will flow, and this, too, contributes to the balance you need in life. Therefore, this needs to be the first thing you include in your calendar & everyday schedule. This is part of your self-care & filling your own cup first.
5. Practice Work-Life Mindfulness
Perfect work-life balance can be an unrealistic expectation for an entrepreneur to maintain. There are times in our lives when we may spend more time with our business, family/friends, or on self-care and that is okay. With that in mind try practicing work-life mindfulness. Be aware of the amount of time you are spending in the different areas of your life and business and check in on whether it is serving you. Recognize the impact of how you spend your time on your health, wealth, and wellbeing. Be in the present moment, whether that is in your business or at lunch with your friends. By practicing mindfulness around work and life you can be aware of your choices around time and choose what serves you and your business.
Arliss Dudley-Cash MS, MBA, Business Coach and Consultant
6. Self-care!
For optimal work-life balance, self-caring is a must! Check for yourself what activities (or non-activities) recharging you as well gives you joy and pleasure. Put in your business calendar your "I-time" which is your self-caring time. This is when you will do what you love (even when eating ice cream and going roundabout).
7. Practice saying no to calls and invitations
Every day, block out the times you're going to work on your business in your calendar, including breaks. Treat it like a 9-5 schedule and make it non-negotiable. Practice saying no to calls and invitations outside of those hours and respect your own free time by doing so. Even if working from home, have your office in a separate room so that you can shut the door at the end of the day and leave work behind.
