Tag: how to balance work and life

10 Work Life Balance Tips For Being Productive & Happy

Finding a simple work-life balance takes time and effort, but it can dramatically impact your happiness and overall success. In this post, I share with you the 10 work life balance tips for being productive & happy.

Anyone with a job and a beating heart know the stress of balancing a job and some of the demands that can be found outside of an office. As an entrepreneur, your work life is even more hectic making it far more difficult to find the proper balance.

Striking a healthy work-life balance is a difficult thing to manage even in the best of times. Numerous studies have shown the most productive employees and bosses are well-rounded professionals with well-balanced lives. Likewise, the most successful companies are those that foster employee health and well-being while enhancing organizational performance and productivity.

Here are 10 work life balance tips for being productive & happy:

1. Turn Off Push Notifications

If you feel shackled to your computer or smartphone and are incessantly checking your email, your brain never truly has time to rest and recover. Plus, you’re probably at dinner with your significant other constantly checking your emails instead of giving them your undivided attention. It’s more than a little rude. During non-working hours, turn off notifications from:

– Email

– Social media accounts

– Apps

Taking this small step allows you be more in control of your time and a better participant in your relationships.

2. Organize Your Week The Right Way

Start by figuring out how you’re tackling your week as a whole. There very well might be a “right” way to take on the week so that you can have the proper work-life balance. Make the most out of your Monday because it will set the pace for the rest of the week for you. The harder you work to start the week off, the better chance you’ll have to get free time later on during the week.

3. Track Your Time

Analyzing your present situation is the beginning step in achieving a balanced life. Keep a time log of everything you do for one week, including work-related and personal activities. This data will serve as way to help you understand how you are using and where you are losing your time.

4. Be Mindful In Your Decision Making

It’s important to make choices that elevate your best self, both in the office and at home. Next time you’re about to make a quick decision at work, slow it down and make sure you’re making one that will set you up for more peace and happiness. Every decision usually has a consequence or an outcome and spending more time thinking about the end result may guide you better initially.

5. Set Specific Goals

Take your list of priorities and turn them into concrete and measurable goals. Block time into your schedule for activities just like you would for an important meeting or a doctor’s appointment. Not only that, but don’t just set goals for the work side of things. You need to also be mindful of personal goals and family goals that you set as well.

6. Take Your Hard-Earned Vacation Time

The average American only takes 10 of his allotted 14 vacation days and often times in competitive work environments, many workers take even less. Remember that vacation time is part of your compensation. Studies have shown that workers who do use their vacation time come back as more productive and happier employees.

7. Don’t Be Afraid To Delegate

There’s nothing wrong with sharing responsibility, especially if it makes you more effective in your job or as a boss. When you’re really struggling, identify which tasks are “you” tasks only and which ones can be handled effectively by someone else.

8. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise is not only good for you physically, but researchers have found that it also has ties to helping the human brain cope with stress, depression and anxiety. Research also showed that exercise causes a release of norepinephrine, which is a neuromodulator that helps the brain handle stress.

9. Leave Work At Work

Develop a mental on and off switch between work and home. It helps to establish a transitional activity between the two realms. This might consist of listening to music or recorded books during your evening commute, exercising at the fitness center, running errands, or keeping personal appointments. Scheduling such activities immediately following your normal work hours ensures that you actually leave the office when you should be.

10. Hire Help

Remember, having it all doesn’t mean you actually have to do it all. If you can afford to, hiring help for chores such as laundry or lawn maintenance can free up more of your non-work time for more enjoyable activities. You can also hire a maid to come and clean your house so it’s very important for you to know that it’s okay to hire outside help.

Conclusion

Finding a simple work-life balance takes time and effort, but it can dramatically impact your happiness and overall success. In this post, I shared with you the 10 work life balance tips for being productive & happy.

8 Powerful Tips For Work-Life Balance

Finding a simple work-life balance takes time and effort, but it can dramatically impact your happiness and overall success. In this post, I share with you 8 powerful tips for work-life balance.

Owning a business isn’t easy because it requires a lot of sacrifices and a ton of hours. Many people as entrepreneurs and business owners especially struggling with having a healthy balance in life. Myself included, I found myself working way more than my friends and family expected me to.

Not only that, but I saw myself burning out and getting extremely tired from just working. That’s when I knew I had to do something to create a healthier balance in my life. Today, I spend time with friends, workout, have leisure time and work making my life a lot more balanced.

Here are 8 powerful tips for work-life balance:

1. Seek Out Opportunities To Create More Meaningful Work

If you want to transform your life so you’re not merely living for the weekend, you need to get more meaning out of your work. This means actively thinking about how you can transfer your personal passions to add value to your workplace and ultimately have more fun. Keep your passions at the top of your mind because if you love what you do, you’ll feel less frustrated with it.

2. Drop Activities That Drain Your Time Or Energy

It’s easy to get sucked into habits that make us less efficient without us realizing it such as keeping your Facebook tab open at work so you don’t miss something “important.” Do an inventory of activities that don’t enhance your life or career and minimize the time you spend on them.

It’s hard to say “no” especially to an opportunity or a loved one, but sometimes that little word is the key to a bit more work-life balance. Will the office really collapse in on itself if you don’t do one more final thing? Learn to use the word “no” judiciously and it will become a powerful tool in balancing work and family.

3. Put A Time Window On Responses

Whether it’s an email, a phone call, or an employee question, make it clear that you will respond to questions and requests within a specific time frame. For some, this simply means a 24-48 hour window while others opt to only address questions during a specific time frame each day (like 9:00-10:00 a.m.) This will keep you from rushing to respond while also letting others know when they can expect to hear back from you.

4. Get A Move On

Research shows that exercise helps you remain alert. Finding time to hit the gym may be hard in a jam-packed schedule, but it will ultimately help you get more things done because exercise releases endorphins, boosts energy and increases your ability to concentrate.

If the gym’s not an option, are there people in your neighborhood you could meet several mornings a week before work to go for a quick 30 minute walk? If mornings are a no-go, how about stepping away from your desk at lunchtime to go for a stroll? Remember, it’s all about finding some sort of time pocket in your day to get some exercise in.

5. Get Up Early And Do Something For Yourself Before Starting Your Working Day

Do you feel like your week revolves around work and everything else comes secondary? Getting up early and making some time for yourself before getting to work is an easy way to refocus your day and gain better control of your work-life balance. This could mean doing some exercise, walking the dog, having breakfast with your family or practicing mindful activities such as meditation, journaling or yoga.

6. Monitor & Analyze Your Activity

Thanks to wearable tech devices you can easily monitor both your level of physical activity and your sleep habits. For managers who want a clear picture of balance, these relatively low-cost tools can paint an accurate picture and help you get back on track with healthier habits. Not only that, but they provide healthy reminders to stand up, breathe and stretch throughout the day.

7. Work Smarter Not Harder 

Instead of working so hard, find ways to work smarter. It’s all about efficiency in anything you can do. If you can get the same things done in half the time without working as hard, you’d do it right? Anyone would! I’ve learned to work smarter by delegating tasks to employees and others while focusing on the mission critical things myself on a  day to day basis.

8. Quit Rushing To Work 

Rushing to work and skipping breakfast is an unhealthy reality for many. Waking up in a rush sets you up for an unsettled day and skipping breakfast only adds to the recipe for disaster. If you’re not taking the time to fuel your body before work, your productivity and energy levels are ultimately going to take a hit as the day progresses. This means you’ll have less motivation to make the most of your day, which leads to a decline in productivity and potentially missing important deadlines.

Conclusion

Finding a simple work-life balance takes time and effort, but it can dramatically impact your happiness and overall success. In this post, I shared with you 8 powerful tips for work-life balance.