How to Achieve an Almost Perfect Work-life Balance

In a world that is moving on the first lane and where earning or amassing more and more wealth has become more important than your health and personal relations, one can easily get lost in trying to keep up with the fast pace in which the world is moving today. Regardless it is important that we all strike a balance between our jobs and personal/social life away from the workplace. After all when you die doing that job your friends and family will be the ones to bury you whereas your boss will probably advertise your job as soon as your body hits the ground. In order to ensure you save yourself from stress and exhaustion, here is a list of 8 hacks that will see you achieve an almost perfect work-life balance in 2018.

1. Make to-do lists

Richard Branson, one of the most successful businessmen once said, “Lists not only provide great structure to getting things done but they also help us to set goals and achieve our dreams.” Make a daily to-do list starting with the most bulky tasks and finishing with the smallest task. That way as your energy levels decrease so does the magnitude of the tasks in your to-do list. With the invention of smart phones you are able to have digital to do lists that can be easily accessed and updated.

2. Time management

Once your to-do list is ready, allocate enough time to do each and every task you have. The bulky tasks should automatically get more time than the small tasks. Be strict to your schedule and time and to boost your morale, every time you accomplish a task within its allocated time, write a positive comment for yourself alongside the task. You can also experiment with attaching emotions to every task. E.g completing all the listed tasks will make you feel ‘self-assured’ and ‘confident’ about yourself. There are many free time management apps that will help you keep track of your time such as Rescue time and focus booster.

3. Stop Procrastinating

At one point or the other we have all been bitten by the procrastination bug. There are times when we put things off to the next day without any excuse at all. David Allen, a productivity expert, introduced the “Two Minute Rule” to beat procrastination. He advises — if it takes two or lesser minutes to complete the task, do it now. This rule will definitely help you create a better work-life balance throughout the year.

4. Leave your work at work

With the kind of technology we have today it can be impossible to escape the office. You can access your emails directly through your smart-phone and thanks to cloud you can now access your files from anywhere – but it does not mean you have to. When you leave the office at the end of the day, make a to-do list of outstanding tasks, turn off your computer and leave it alone until you’re back in the next day. Give yourself a break and enjoy your after work time with your family and friend. You’ll be more prepared and in the right state of mind to deal with pending work the next day. Always focus on meeting your deadlines within the allocated office time.

5. Carve out time for yourself.

Learn to make yourself a priority and structure each day to include a few moments in which you do the things you love to do. Practise meditation, it often puts you in the right frame of mind and re-energizes you. Consider reading for 10 minutes a day, going to a fitness class or taking a walk at lunchtime. Scheduling in some relaxation time means you’ll be more energized, motivated and ready to face the planned week head and all activities that may come along with it.

6. Learn to say “NO”

Do not make promises you cannot keep. This will only give you immense pressure and stress and may even end up affecting your health. Remember that none of us is perfect, and none of us is in a position to say yes to every demand or request put on us. While it is important to remain motivated strive to do a good job in work, it is not healthy to make promises you can’t keep and put yourself under incredible pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines or expectations. Don’t be afraid to say no to demands that are unfair or unreasonable. Make your boundaries clear and ensure you respect them. It is the only way others will also respect them as well.

7. Take a time off

Allow yourself to go out for a movie or dinner with your friend or family during the weekend to unwind and release all the pressures of work accumulated during the week. This time off is really important for your health as well. While planning for your leave days or offs allocate one day per month as a personal ‘mental health day’ and take a full week off every three to four months for a mental reset. Clearing your mind for an extended period of time can really help you be more productive at work and will enable you to come up with more innovative ideas when you come back.

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8. Limit time wasted on social media

People today are signed up in so many social media platforms and staying active in all the platforms is one of the major time wastage activities people engage in. We spend almost 2-3 hours every day on social media at the expense of very important tasks. Before you know it, 2 hours of your day get wasted just like that. Allocate time within your schedule to connect with friends and relatives on social media. Time management is a key for a better work balance; so ensure that you plan for social media to enable you to keep in touch friends and family and still remain effective while conducting your duties.