The days of employees quietly accepting endless demands for overtime are largely done. Part of it is a culture shift as millennials stand poised to take up the lion’s share of the workforce. Part of it is a growing recognition of the damage chronic stress and exhaustion take on the health of workers. After all, no one is productive when they’re sick.
If you’re struggling with work-life balance, keep reading for five steps to help you establish the right balance.
Embrace the Word “No”
An endless cycle of obligations to friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and managers can leave feeling like your about to drown. Figure out what things really matter to you and say yes to those. Say no to everything else.
Apply the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule or the Pareto Principle holds that most of your biggest results come from a small amount of your work. Look for the parts of your work that create the most results and offload as much of the other stuff as possible. You’ll achieve more while actually doing less.
Get or Stay Healthy
When you’ve got lots of demands at home and at work, it’s easy to let your health and fitness slide into the background. Make those things a priority. Being healthy and fit makes it easier to weather stress. You can even build some family time around staying fit by organizing weekend hikes.
Ask for Help
Sometimes, you will end up with too much on your plate. When that happens, don’t try to be a hero or start sacrificing sleep. Reach out to colleagues for help at work. Talk to friends and family to help you manage personal obligations. More often than not, people are happy to lend a hand.
Accept Some Imbalance
No one can attain an ideal balance between work and life in the long term. Sometimes you have a big project that soaks up your time. Sometimes your kid needs surgery. These imbalances are part of the deal that is life. Accepting that things will tilt one way or the other sometimes will help preserve your sanity.
You’ll probably never strike a perfect work-life balance. What you can do is get a whole lot closer. Look for ways to prioritize your time energy on the things that matter most and get you the best results. Trim obligations you don’t care about. Ask for help when you need it. These steps will help you take some big steps toward a better-balanced life.
Stuck in a job that won’t let you find that work-life balance you want? Touch base with GPS and let us find you a job that respects work-life balance.