Ah, the mystical and seemingly unobtainable achievement that is the work life balance. In our enthusiasm and effort to make our business as successful as possible, it is all too easy to let our work life start taking over our personal life. Replying to emails whilst watching EastEnders. Taking that client call whilst helping the kids with their homework. Sat up in bed finishing that all important project report when you planned to be asleep over an hour ago.
So, what can we do to get a better work life balance?
Your lifestyle
You have the freedom to come up with your own definition of productivity and you can design your time to be as efficient as possible. The future is no longer 9-5, office based working. We are embracing the work from home revolution and Wi-Fi offers us the chance to work from pretty much anywhere. But this can make it tempting to be consumed by work at all hours of the day.
As demanding as clients may be, don’t lose track of your personal to do’s – give them as much attention as your business to-do’s and factor them into the week. And if you work at home and get distracted by everyday errands or house chores, it makes sense to integrate them into your day around your work tasks. And make sure that the bookends of your day are robust. Have a good morning and evening routine to set you up well for the day and to wind you down for the night.
Your business
Your passion to drive your business forwards is probably the reason that you are having difficulty to establish an excellent work life balance. Nonetheless, how you work is more flexible than you think. Know what is important and recognise when you are at your best. Are you an early morning person or do you work well after lunch? Try to schedule important work according to your energy levels.
Your social media
We all know that 2 minutes quickly checking if you have any new followers can rapidly turn into 60 minutes browsing through your friend’s holiday pics and 7 minutes watching a YouTube video titled “50 Funniest Cat Moments”. So only go on social media at set times of the day – and get rid of notifications from any phone or computer you are to avoid temptation.
Your emails
Whilst social media is the enemy when it comes to distractions from work, emails are the arch nemesis when it comes to interrupting our personal life! Set specific times to check your emails too and close them at all other times. And start unsubscribing or junking anything that doesn’t add any value to your life.
Although it may seem difficult and even counterproductive at first, establishing equilibrium between your work and home life will be beneficial to both you and your business.
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