We all know we need one. Most of us want one, but very few of us get work-life balance right. Why? Because we are not proactive. We wait for the day that we will wake up and have perfect ‘zen’, but life doesn’t happen like that.
To develop and maintain a healthy work-life balance you just need to start. Here are five quick ways you can improve your life balance.
1. Enjoy all life has to offer while you can
Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care. The most common regret recorded amongst her patients was ‘I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me’.
Action: Make a list of the genuine expectations others have of you. Are they fair? Start making your own choices.
2. Become well
Wellness is much more than physical health. It’s the full integration of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. When we feel stressed we are not solid and our soul cries out.
Action: Make a list of one thing you want to change in each area, for example: Physical – your weight. Emotional – end a bad relationship; Mental – time to listen to podcasts; Spiritual – time for reflection or prayer. Choose one and start today.
3. Become energised at work
When you are tired, bored or stressed you lose confidence in yourself and your abilities. Mistakes are made; you feel irritable and bad mouth others. When you are in this mental state it is impossible to offer peak performance or build good relationships with bosses.
Action: Plan your working day so you sandwich tasks which drain you with those with energise you. If possible, start and end your day with things you enjoy.
4. Have better relationships
Jamie Oliver admitted he was more or less a weekend Dad due to work commitments but according to The Guardian article, he and his family are OK with that.
Action: Think about what is most important to you when it comes to improving relationships. Do you want quality or quantity of time or both? Plan it into your diary to make sure it happens.
5. Become happy
Back to Bronnie Ware, the fifth regret of the dying is, ‘I wish that I had let myself be happier’. Bronnie found that many people didn’t realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits.
Action: Do you need to acknowledge your fear of change? If needed, book a session with an accredited coach to help you break out of your comfort zones and seek happiness.
Don’t look back and regret. Start improving your work-life balance now.