Work life balance is something that I’ve struggled with a lot recently. I’ve had days where I’ve worked from 8 am until 3 am nonstop, without even acknowledging the need for food or water consumption. And that is not an exaggeration. The amount of hours dedicated to running this website is so much more than what meets the eye. And considering that there are only 24 hours in a day, I find myself converting all of my free time into work time, and completely justifying it.
Additional to running a website, I also have a professional career to manage, a household to maintain, and a million other responsibilities just like you do. Bottom line is that I am guilty of always stretching myself out too thin. And I am not proud of this whatsoever. I am not proud of how I over-schedule myself to take on the world, how I forget that there is more to life than just doing. At the end of the day; life will pass us by whether we stop for it or not.
How many of you guys can relate to this feeling? I know that I am not alone on this one.
We live in a time where being busy is the new trend, and if you’re not busy enough, you’re looked down upon. It is so important to be ambitious in life, but it’s just as important to find a balance for it. Ever since becoming self-aware of this mistake, I’ve made it a point to focus my efforts into work life balance. I’ve had some outstanding women mentors in my life who have taught me some of their secrets on how they keep a work life balance.
Here we go:
1) Map out the week
Every Monday morning the first thing I do when I get into the office is map out my entire week on a pretty sheet of paper. Each day (Monday thru Sunday) gets a column dedicated to it so I can visually assign task(s). If a day ends up having too many goals added to it, I try to move it to a different day to create a fair and attainable balance. And I do the exact same exercise with my week’s worth of ‘fun’ too. I’ve found that this has worked for me incredibly well for me.
2) Block out hours of no-distractions
Once I know what my week will look like, I then take a look at the individual day and block out a couple of hours of no-distractions-allowed work time. Setting aside time to just ‘work’ has allowed me to be incredibly productive and accomplish tasks in half the time it would usually take me. I no longer get distracted by someone’s texts because I force myself to be in go-mode. I give it my full attention and potential.
3) Block out hours of must-do self care activities
Just like blocking out time to work without distractions, I also block out time to have fun without distractions. But in this case; work-related distractions. In other words, I try to block out those lingering thoughts like “did I forget to respond to that email?” I try to make it a point to meditate daily which allows me to un-plug my mind from the daily running around. I highly recommend you to start meditating daily if you aren’t already. I also make it a point to schedule other self-care activities that I help me manage stress, such as going for a run, going to dinner with friends, staying in for a movie, etc. I literally ban myself from doing work when I schedule the ‘fun.’
4) Learn to say NO
I struggle with this one a lot. I’m the kind of person that always wants to take on more responsibility and projects so I’m constantly offering myself up for everything. On the same token, if someone needs my help I always try to give them my time and attention no matter how busy I am. It wasn’t until recently that I was given the advice to say no to things that I just won’t be able to accomplish at that time. There is nothing wrong with respectfully explaining to someone why you don’t have the bandwidth to do what they are asking you for. I still have a hard time with saying no to people at times because I just want to make everyone happy, but it’s impossible to be there for everyone, everywhere, every time. Prioritize what is important and get that done first.
Make sure that you download your FREE personal weekly planner! It will help you map out your week and master work-life balance as you apply all the tips we’re discussing here. If you’re already subscribed to She Became Fearless, the personal weekly planner is located in the She Became Fearless Library of FREE resources. If you’re not subscribed, sign up below and you’ll receive immediate access!
5) Automate life
We live in a beautiful time. The year 2017 offers a ton of amazing automation services and subscriptions that can save you a lot of time. I enjoy going to the mall and grocery store to do my shopping, but I’ve tried to automate other aspects of my life that have no purpose other than to be time consuming tasks. Thank you, technology!
6) Meal prep
I fell in love with meal prepping because it has taken so much stress out of my weekdays. Every Sunday I meal prep all of my lunches and breakfasts (and husband’s) so I don’t have to worry about it during the week. I don’t like eating out too often because I’m a little picky with the foods I eat, so I’ve found that meal prepping conveniently suits my needs. The only meal I worry about cooking real time is dinner, which I look forward to most days. I put on some good music and cook a nice meal while decomposing from a long work day. It’s a fun way to unwind.
Even though it’s tough to find the right work and life balance, it is absolutely necessary to do so. Although we all want to just get things done, it’s important that we enjoy the journey leading up to it, which encompasses of praising small achievements and treating ourselves to some well-deserved down time too. Otherwise, we will always end up burning ourselves out in the long-term.
I think you’ll also enjoy reading: 4 Steps To Being An Empowering Woman (+ Bonus 3 steps)
Did you find these work life balance tips helpful? Do you have any other tips that you’d like to share?
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One more thing! Remember… go out there and be Fearless! No matter what you set your mind to, YOU CAN DO IT! Did you download my free e-book yet? I know that you’ll love it!
Much love,
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