Most of our lives are filled with so much to do – family, work, home, and “me time.” When you’re at work, you find you’re thinking about what tasks need to get done at home. When you’re at home, you just can’t get that new work project off your mind. Occasionally, you might even think you’re not capable of living the kind of life you want because there’s just so much to do. How can you manage it all? Try these tips to balance work and home so you can experience the good life you deserve:
1. Admit you’re feeling at loose ends. When you can acknowledge there’s an issue, you can then go about fixing it. Plus, it gives you the chance to acknowledge that you want to make changes to feel more settled in your life.
2. Stick to your designated assigned hours at work. The one sure way to let your work and home lives collide into chaos is to work more hours than you should. Sure, you may have temporary periods of time where you have to put in 2 or 3 extra hours to finish up a project, but that should only happen on occasion. * If you notice it’s becoming the norm to work 9 or 10 hours a day, it’s time to check yourself and cut back. Confidently limit your work hours when it’s necessary. * If it’s impossible to finish your work tasks without working extra hours, seek help in completing them. Learn to delegate everything you can and if it’s still too much for you, talk to your boss about lightening your workload.
3. Make quick notes. When you’re at work and you have a thought about something to attend to at home, jot it down in a little notebook you keep with you. If you prefer, speak it into your voice recording on your cell phone or tap it into your smartphone. * This method, of course, works the other way, too – when at home, make a note of what pops into your head about work. * Using this technique will help you feel like you’re more in control of your life.
4. Give yourself a break. To bolster your efforts, recognize life isn’t easy at times. After all, you’re just one person and you’re compelled to accomplish a lot of things in a day. * Strive to be gentle with yourself when it comes to managing your time.
5. Ask your partner. What’s their opinion about how you’ve been managing work and home? Do they believe you spend too much time at work or home, neglecting the other aspect of your life? What do they feel would help? * Patiently listen and then share your own feelings about the imbalance in your life. * If you wholly embrace your partner’s feedback, you’ll be more motivated to work out scheduling snafus between work and home.
6. Re-discover confidence in yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to, including balancing your time between work and home.
7. Be realistic and flexible. Maybe a perfect balance between work and home isn’t entirely possible. If you’re realistic, you’ll see that life ebbs and flows and what must be achieved at home and at work varies and fluctuates. Be proactive in your planning whenever possible. If you put these strategies to work, you’ll feel much more capable of effectively organizing your busy life. Find an equilibrium that works for you to live a serene and satisfied existence.