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Maintaining a work life balance has become another job especially for women. Working women from around the world have the same problem. And it seems working moms never rest.
They are tired of juggling between work, home, and a semblance of social life they have. Depending on the field they are in and the kind of job they do, maintaining a work life balance can sometimes seem to be completely impossible.
However, it is not impossible. With a little planning and prioritizing what you like doing and how you can manage to do it better, you can ward off burnout and have a Work Life Balance.
So, if you are struggling with this and do not know what to do, do not worry you are at the right place. Here are some ways through which working women can find themselves a Work Life Balance.
#1 Essential To Work Life Balance Is To Keep A Track Of Time
The first step to attain a Work Life Balance is to know how and where you are spending your time. Your job is important and so is your life.
Do not kill yourself over it. Analyze your current situation and keep a log of time for the activities you are engaging in. Do this for one week for both your work and personal activities. When you get data at the end of the week, you will know where you are spending most of your time and where are the gaps you are overdoing work.
There are many online tools and Apps to help you to keep track of time.
Set Priorities For Work Life Balance
With the time chart at your hand, it is time to set priorities of your Work Life Balance. Spend some time reflecting on what’s important for you, what you want to get rid of in your life, and what you want to spend more time doing. Make a numbered list of those priorities and find time slots throughout your week to inculcate them.
Ask yourself a lot of questions regarding the activities you are engaged in and the ones you would like to engage in and prioritize them as per the need.
Schedule, Schedule, Schedule!
While this might sound crazy, but those who are habitual of working so much find it difficult to attain that Work Life Balance and include social activities in their life. This is why scheduling will help. Do not let work plan your life but plan your work.
Make a schedule at the end of the day for the next day or make it your morning ritual to blog every hour on how you are doing to spend every day. When you plan your tasks, you would know that now is the time to stop working and do something that is going to relax you.
Build Boundaries That Serve You
You might love your job, or you might be doing it for the sake of paying your bills, but that does not mean you would let it ruin your peace.
Set realistic boundaries for both works and at home. Communicate them to your supervisor and tell them that you are going to stick by them and do not want work to ruin your peace.
For example, you can tell them that you will only stay late if there is a crisis and the demand for crucial work otherwise there is no possibility.
Similarly, if you are a working mother, communicate your boundaries to your partner and distribute everything with him so it isn’t just your job to run the home too.
At home, you can tell your partner those certain days of the week he has to help kids with homework or pick them up from school, so you have some free time at your hands.
Spend Some Alone Time
This cannot be emphasized enough. In the hustle of everyday life, we have forgotten how important it is to spend some time focusing on yourself only.
While having a social life and going out with friends is important, it is even more important to have some time for yourself every day.
I would recommend indulging in this small pleasure of spending some alone, quality time with yourself for 30 minutes a day.
No matter how busy your day is going to be or how busy it was, these few minutes of uninterrupted peace, solitude, and reflection will help charge and power you for a long time.
Go Out With Friends
This is something that is even more important to understand if you have kids. I have seen working moms a lot of time ignoring their own needs of going out and having fun. Make sometime every week to hang out with your friends.
You can do spa dates, drink in a club, or just dancing out with friends. If you find it difficult to take some time, you can inculcate your exercise routine with some friend’s time. Join a group yoga program or an exercise session where you work out and spend some time together.
This will help you remain connected to your friends who are always there for your support and get your work and family priorities out of the mind for a while too.
Work Smarter Not Harder!
Take this tip and keep it with you for life. If you are always short on time, this might be the tip that can just save your life!
Using time efficiently is also a tool for maintaining the Work Life Balance that you are yearning for. Adopting time-management practices and efficient working techniques can help you save stress and save some time in the day.
This means that when you are working, keep your phone on the side so there are no distractions. Install a social media blocking extension on your laptop, so you are not distracted by the notifications.
When you are working, just focus on work and when you are at home with kids, just focus on them. This focus will help you become organized and save a lot of time for doing other activities throughout the day.
It is definitely possible to have a work-life balance and a healthy lifestyle together no matter how busy you are and what your job role is. All it takes is realizing when you are not paying attention to your needs and making time for them.
Once you do so, I can guarantee that you will not only excel in your personal life but will excel in your work as well. Mark my words!
