Many people struggle to find harmony between their jobs and their home lives. However, it’s possible to achieve a better balance in your day-to-day life. The key is changing your attitude about what you can and should accomplish.
- Stop trying to please everyone. Don’t fall victim to the allure of trying to please everyone. You’ll be ineffective in managing your time. People who try to please everyone become stuck in a place where they agree to everything without considering what is most important or the best use of their time. Recognize that when you try to please everyone, you are the one person who doesn’t get pleased.
- Be true to yourself. Many executives believe respect comes from how much they do and how well they do it. However, an equally important element of respect is integrity, and integrity requires being true to yourself. When you are overworked, aren’t you trying to rebalance your schedule? When you have too many projects, isn’t it your job to delegate? A truth always exists within your work and what you need to do what is right for you. Yes, you must often do what others need, but not to such a degree that you get lost in the shuffle.
- Set boundaries. Boundaries are essential to restoring a work-life balance. Perhaps you’ve established a personal rule that you will never work through lunch or past a specific time. There are exceptions to the rule, but setting boundaries helps you have a work-life balance that allows you time for enjoyment, peace and fulfillment. If you keep your boundaries strong, they will protect you no matter how difficult, troubling or challenging your work becomes.
- Learn to underpromise. Allow yourself to do less than you think you can do. If you think it will take an hour to do something, give yourself an hour and a half. Lowering your expectations will make you less inclined to over-extend. Most executives create such high expectations that they rarely accomplish what needs to be done.
- Stop feeling guilty. It’s OK to have a life away from the office. It’s not a crime to turn off your cell phone or not respond to e-mail when you’re on vacation. Fiercely protect your days off and relish all of the time entitled to you. You’ll not only restore balance and sanity to your life, but you’ll also live longer. Studies have shown that people who take vacations have fewer health risks than those who do not.
Sources: SupportLinc EAP consider when setting boundaries with those around you.