Life is filled with many responsibilities — whether it’s keeping up with the demands of work, managing household chores, or spending all-important quality time with those we love. Finding a way to balance all those responsibilities isn’t just challenging, it’s essential to leading a happy and fulfilling life. Here are some ways to help you stay balanced:
- Set your priorities. Carve out some quiet time to think about your most important goals. Maybe, for example, you want to spend more time with your family. Or get in better shape. Write down your goals and prioritize them.
- Look at how you spend your time. Are there time-consuming activities you do that are unrelated to your goals? For example, do you spend a lot of time on social media or watching television when you could be out exercising, playing with your children, or pursuing other interests that relate to your goals? How about your work day? Are you spending too much time socializing with co-workers? Think about ways you can reduce the time you spend on things that are unrelated to your goals.
- Schedule time for yourself. While you have responsibilities to your managers at work and your loved ones at home, you also have a responsibility to take care of yourself. Make sure you take time to relax and care for yourself.
- Outsource chores. Chores are a necessary part of managing a home, but are there some that you can outsource? For example, if you spend time mowing your lawn and don’t enjoy it, consider hiring a lawn service.
- Set a work schedule. If at all possible, try to start and leave work at the same time each day. When you’re at work, focus on work. Avoid workplace distractions so you can maintain maximum productivity.
- Unplug. With smartphones and other devices, it’s hard to completely unplug from work today. However, if your workday ends at 6:00 p.m., try not to work into the evening or to check work email when home. Also, try and keep your weekends free of work.
- Take vacations. Vacation is supposed to be a time to relax and get away. So if it’s possible, try to leave your work behind. If you have to check in with your company, try to limit your contact to once a day.
While having so many responsibilities at home and work can seem overwhelming, the important thing to remember is that you can control your work/life balance — and your happiness.