No matter if you are working from home or in general, it is said that it should be easy to achieve a good work-life balance. You are your own boss, and you decide your own schedule, right? Well, that may not be the case. Every person, regardless if they are working from home or an office, have difficulties in maintaining a good work-life balance.
Waking up, working, and lying in bed thinking that they’ll have to work again tomorrow: this is the routine for many Australians. If your 9-5 job is starting to get the better or you, it may be time to assess your work-life balance. Luckily there are a few ways to achieve a good work-life balance.
Here are some tips to get the perfect work-life balance
Play to your own strength and consider outsourcing
Many people try to be overachievers. Now, this is, by all means, is not a bad thing- but sometimes it can become physically and mentally draining. Find your strength and polish it. If you own a business, consider the idea of outsourcing aspects of your business. Whether its marketing, manufacturing or design, you can find someone else to get it done. With international outsourcing services online, anyone can outsource labour at a variety of price points. This clears up your valuable time and can actually save you money in the long run. If you cannot afford to hire staff or pay for outsourcing, that’s fine. It just means that you need to really hone in on what you’re good at.
Prioritise the time that you have
At this point, it is very likely that you have a to-do list containing more than 50 tasks. We know you need to get them done and figuring out where to start can be confusing. It is however best to prioritise. Start with the urgent and important ones. Rank them by the level of impact on your business. As you rank them you will gradually work your way towards the less important tasks. Owning a business will mean that there is always work to be done. Staying on top of this cycle of work can help you adopt a better mindset for running a business. A positive mindset will help you make better work and lifestyle decisions.
Leave your work at work
Some of us can’t really help it: we may be “off duty,” but there’s still that gnawing thought chewing at our brains, giving us suggestions for improvement. Many people, especially business owners struggle to switch off. You may be sitting down watching Netflix when you remember that you haven’t paid an invoice, or you forgot to schedule a delivery. Switching off can be extremely difficult. The key is to try and leave your work at work. If a task is of high importance, you may have to attend to it; but if it can wait-then hold it off till the next day.
If you’re working for a company, it is still common to think about work when you’re not there. To achieve a good work-life balance, you must accept a certain fact: you already left work. Take a breath and try to acknowledge that you are no longer there. Close your mind from anything work-related and enjoy the rest of the day like you’re supposed to. A good trick is to focus on something else.
Have set hours
For you to have a good work-life balance, you may want to consider working somewhere with set working hours. Some people prefer to know when they start work and what time they finish every day. This helps them organise their week and develop a consistent routine. If however, you are working from home, it might be convenient to have those “flexible hours”.
Two things may happen when you work from home. The first is that you work too much. The second is that you don’t work enough. The trick is to find balance. In the first case, procrastination might hit you long and hard, causing you to overwork yourself. The second case is exactly the opposite: without a set number of hours, you don’t know when to stop. So, you tend to work and work – and when your work is done, you find more work to do. This is how workaholics are born.
Make use of technology
Over the last 10 years, we have seen a rise in tech-savvy platforms that have helped businesses work more efficiently. Technology is enabling a more convenient world. For example, instead of driving to a meeting across the city use Skype or other conferencing technologies such as Google Meet. This will save you time and money on commute. However, remember to switch them off after you are done – and separate yourself from your work environment.
Do something that you love
A key way to achieve a good work-life balance is to find spare time for things that you love doing. Once your work hours are finished, find something that you particularly enjoy doing and give it its some well-deserved time. Whether it’s going to the gym, eating, catching up with friends, dancing, shopping, reading a book or playing a video game- the choice is yours! Taking time out will be extremely valuable as it will refresh and energise you. Rather than getting caught up in work, some time away can actually help nurture that creative thinking that every business owner needs.
Make time for holidays
It sounds a lot harder than it may seem, but a holiday can be extremely beneficial to your mental health. Now, we’re not saying that you book a 2-month Europe trip each year (unless you want to). Take a few days off every few months to clear your mind. However, so that your work life is not affected, you might want to advise your clients as early as possible. Otherwise, your holiday might be interrupted by phone calls with clients asking you to do things.
A good work-life balance is very possible
Many business owners struggle to adopt a positive work-life balance. The last thing that you want is to burn out. As long as you put your mind to it, you can definitely achieve a good work-life balance without compromising your business goals. You just need to learn when to take a break – where work stops and where personal life begins. Nothing good ever comes by merging these two, as it can be exhausting and lead to numerous problems.
