"All Work and No Play makes Jack a dull boy"- you must have heard this phrase several times since your childhood. Wherever these sayings came from, they ring loud and clear the importance of work-life balance in the simplest way. As we grow up we get engrossed in our work so much that we tend to ignore the health risks that come with unbalanced lifestyles.
Stress, individual health risks, unresolved conflicts, reduced productivity are some of the ill effects of unbalanced work-life. It is quite clear that a healthy balance between work and home should be priority for everyone. Let's see how to improve your work life balance and prepare yourself for everything good that life has to offer.
Time management
If you feel that you don't have enough time, it is because you don't use time wisely. Time management is crucial for an effective work-life balance. Effective implementing time management will reduce the work related stress and help bring balance to life, in and out of the office.
Don't confuse urgent with important. Urgent tasks need to be done immediately but they are not always important. Learn to differentiate between urgent and important. Important tasks are those which help us meet our goals.
Stay flexible
Flexible is an important skill that you need to have to learn. Inflexible people often fail when changes beyond their control come. Flexibility means embracing change as life throws different circumstances in your everyday life.
Estimating time is not easy. You need to be ready for unexpected occurrences or disturbances in your schedule. For example, car trouble will throw off your schedule; do not try to keep up with lost time. All you can do is make a fresh start and prioritize your work list so that you do not delay the most important ones.
Apply the 80/20 rule
According to the 80/20 rule, 80% of our success is result on 20% of our successful activities. The 80/20 rule implies we must focus on 20% of activities that are the most successful. To apply 80/20 rule, you need to prioritize things and removes unimportant tasks from the equation, especially when you are pressed for time.
You can begin with asking yourself a question -What are the stupid things that I'm wasting my time on? You'll wind find that many things do not matter and it doesn't make difference if these things are not done. On the other hand, you also come to know which things will affect bottom-line if they are left unfinished.
Technology is often made a scapegoat for the imbalanced work-life. You should remember that you alone are in charge of your life. By achieving a work-life balance, you will get a sense of fulfillment at work and at home, improve health, work performance and also strengthen personal and professional relationships.
Want to share anymore tips to improve work-life balance? Please feel free to suggest and give comments.