If the 21st century brought us something, that is poor balance between our business and personal lives. How many times have you missed out on an event only because you had to stay longer in the office or work on an upcoming project? Not only can this take its toll on our mental health and daily routine, according to Harvard Business Review, but it can affect our families as well, especially if we can’t find time for them at all. Having a proper balance between our personal and business lives is one of the crucial things we have to worry about, and let’s make it our New Year’s resolution that we try the best that we can to make this happen. But perhaps this is something that’s easier said than done – what if you simply have to stay longer in the office or work on that project? Here are a couple of tips that can help you achieve just that:
1. Respect your time off
The biggest reason you cannot create a proper balance between your work and your personal life is because you do not respect your free time in the best possible way. The best way to achieve this is by introducing yourself a “no-text” policy every evening. This could last for two or three hours (this is up to you – for example from 7 pm – 9 pm) during which time you will not be receiving and messages or calls, and you will have just enough time to focus a bit on yourself. This is the time for you to spend with your family or simply indulge in activities that you would otherwise not find time for, such as going to the gym or the spa, hanging out with your friends or simply laying on your couch watching TV. If you have colleagues who would do the same, encourage one another. That way, once someone goes off on a holiday, the other will have to respect that and not bother them with any business-related questions.
2. Find your staple style
How can style help us achieve balance between our personal and business lives? Easily – finding your own staple style can definitely save you some time shopping that you could otherwise spend on something totally different. Knowing exactly what you want to wear and not trying to find a different style can significantly decrease the number of minutes you spend at stores looking for something new to wear. This is why it’s always good to have a brand that you’re loyal to and whose clothes you like very much and encourage shopping from the comfort of your own home. Each brand has an online clothing store at the moment, there you can find practically everything, from denim jeans to dresses, and also place an order so that you don’t have to go out to the mall. Unless shopping is a big passion of yours, this is a great way of saving some time and do other things that you actually enjoy doing.
3. Learn to say “no”
Believe it or not, “no” is a very strong word that you need to incorporate in your daily vocabulary if you respect yourself enough. Why? Well, even though it’s quite polite so help everyone who needs help, there is that time when you realize that you are also super important to you. This is also when you realize that it’s sometimes imperative to put your own needs in front of everyone else’s, so if you’re really not up for something, simply say “no”. It might be unusual at first, but you will soon see that saying “no” can help you a lot in finishing everything in due time and having more time to focus on other things that are extremely important for your personal life.
4. Incorporate wellness
Finally, try to find a couple of hours a week during which you will incorporate wellness in your daily routine. Let’s start with yoga, for example – this activity will only take you 15-20 minutes every night, and it can help you a lot in clearing your head and rebooting your brain after a hard day’s work. Doing yoga while listening to some inspiring music and not thinking about anything else than your breathing is definitely something all of us want. If you have a yoga mat in your office, you can do this during the working hours as well (instead of a break) – just try it and you will see the difference.
The only thing that you need in order to achieve this long-desired balance between your personal and business life is determination. Not hard work, not more time – simply determination and putting yourself first. So, let’s make that happen!