At one point or another, every employee has felt the stress of managing work-life balance. Work often bleeds into home life in the form of emails, phone calls, or even just worry about being prepared for tomorrow. It can be difficult to draw boundaries, or to even know what boundaries to draw. The following are a few tips to help you find the balance:
1. Decide What’s Important
This might be the most difficult step, but it’ll help you make the rest of the changes you choose to adopt. What do you really care about? Are you going to that yoga class because you enjoy yoga, or because you feel like you should? Do you actually enjoy eating lunch with your coworkers, or do you need a little time to yourself during the day? Of course, there will always be things that you have to do, even if you don’t want to—that’s part of being an adult. But if you take a moment to establish your priorities, you can make small changes to re-center on what’s really important to you.
2. Set Aside Time
Despite your best hopes—and the promises of infomercials—you can’t do it all. That’s where the priorities come in. Once you’ve figured out what brings you joy, set aside time to do it. This varies by person, as everyone has different kinds and levels of responsibility, and different activities require different levels of commitment. If you love to read, you can set aside a few minutes each day to indulge in a good book. If you are passionate about hiking, you can plan a monthly hiking trip. Rather than focusing on how often you can make time, make sure that your arrangement works well with your needs and schedule.
3. Know That Balance Is a Process
You may implement these steps and achieve instant work-life balance, but probably not. That’s entirely okay. Making changes, even if they’re beneficial, can be difficult, especially when you’re trying to make room for yourself among a mountain of responsibilities. The most important thing is to actually make the room, and not keep putting it off or making excuses. There will be times when your plans fall through. There will be emergencies and disasters, and you’ll have to make compromises. But as long as you keep in mind your priorities, you’ll be able to readjust and keep sailing.
Work-life balance can feel like a dream some days. Between job and family obligations, you might feel like you’ve lost your inner compass. Take a breath, and then take the first step; remember that when it comes to balance, you can start over as many times as you need.