The average person will spend over 90,000 hours working in their lifetime. That’s almost 10 years of your life just working! Dedication and passion for your work are admirable traits. But you, your health, and your sanity take precedence.
Here are 5 helpful tips to ensure your work-life balance is on the right track.
1. Do Not Let Your Phone Be The First Or Last Thing You See Each Day
How many of us check our email first thing in the morning and scroll through social media last thing before bed? I used to. Now I read a book in the evening and spend more time with my family in the morning. It’s great for my sanity, and it’s an easy win.
2. Meditation
5 minutes each day. No more, no less, no skipping. You don’t need training. Just sit, breathe, and try to think of absolutely nothing for 5 minutes. Set an alarm so you’re not peeking at the clock.
The value is not that you are calm and relaxed for that 5 minutes. The value is that you are training your mind to deal with the daily, unrelenting bombardment of thoughts. The assault never ends, but a trained mind will remain balanced.
3. Get A Hobby
As long as it has nothing to do with work or family. I chose kung fu. Guess what nobody at kung fu discusses? Work and family. These are work-life balance tips for you. Not your family or coworkers. You need your own time, and you deserve it.
4. Get Out Of The Office Every Day
I don’t care for how long, and I don’t care what the excuse is. It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO or an “in the zone” developer. We must breathe fresh air in the middle of our work day, every single day. It’s healthy, it’s smart, and it helps you keep perspective.
5. Multitask Your Personal Time
Get the most out of your personal time during the workweek. If you are going out to lunch or coffee, go to a completely different part of town, stop by an interesting shop, a grocery store, or an art gallery. Have a cigar or go to the gym in the middle of the day. Take a different route to or from work.
Getting burnt out doesn’t help anyone. Take care of yourself first. Your work will thank you later!
Digital Marketing
About the author
Tom Kelly
Tom has worked in digital marketing since he started his career over a decade ago, working across the project and account side of the business.