In order to have a happy and meaningful life, then getting the elusive work and life balance can be really key. Whether you work to live or live to work, a bit of give and take is a must. You can still achieve your goals while having fun and enjoying a family or social life too. But how can you create a better work and life balance? Are you always at the office or find it hard to switch off? It can be the curse of the creative entrepreneur. However, there are some strategies in place that can help you get a better balance.
Plan downtime
Like anything in your work day, you need to plan in down time if you want it to happen. Making rest or down time a specific time in your schedule can help you on the way to becoming better at your work and life balance. So whether it is a fitness class, reading, or a date night, get it scheduled into your diary. It will make it easier for it to happen, and will make it easier for not double book yourself.
Improve productivity
For the hours that you are working, it makes sense to be using those hours wisely. If you are working smarter, not necessarily harder, then you can get more done in the same amount of time. There are some proven ways on how to improve productivity, such as taking regular breaks and not multitasking. So make sure that you are applying them into your life in order to make the most of your time. If things are sapping your time and your energy, then the chances are you are not using the time in the most productive way that you can.
Enjoy weekends
It can be hard to switch off, we all get it. Especially if you run your own business. But what you need to focus on is enjoying time off, and simply have things in place for work to carry on running while you are not there. Have a work phone and a social phone, and don’t eve sitch the work phone on. Turn off notifications and step away from the laptop. When you’ve enjoyed your free time, it makes it easier to get back to business on Monday and get your week off to a great start.
Find ways to double up tasks
If you always feel like you are short on time, then it can be a good idea to find ways to double up on some of the tasks that you have to perform. If you want to go to the gym but have several errands to run as well, then how about getting your gym kit on, and running to the store or dry cleaners? When you can double up on the tasks you have, you will tick things off your to-do list, reduce stress, and hopefully, end up with some more free time at the end of it all. Just plan your time so you can double up accordingly.
Switch off
It can be hard to switch off, we all get it. Especially if you run your own business (and there are sole proprietorship advantages, but downtime isn’t one of them). But what you need to focus on is enjoying time off, and simply have things in place for work to carry on running while you are not there. Have a work phone and a social phone, and don’t eve sitch the work phone on. Turn off notifications and step away from the laptop. When you’ve enjoyed your free time, it makes it easier to get back to business on Monday and get your week off to a great start.