5 Steps to a Successful Work-Life Balance at Any Age
Running a business is exhausting. Raising a family is exhausting. Spending time with your friends, while fun, can be exhausting. There may have been a time years ago when I could put in my eight hours, go out for drinks after work, and wake up the next morning as fresh as a daisy, but that time is gone. The goal is to achieve a successful work-life balance that lets you do everything you need to do without burning yourself out.
As a CEO, a mother of two sons, and a volunteer, I know firsthand how tough it is to give my work life, family life, and social life the attention each deserve. And maintaining what balance I do have is a daily challenge. There is always some unexpected surprise to get in the way of my carefully made plans. But, rather than stress out about my balancing act, I have learned to take a deep breath, focus on what matters, and maintain my peace of mind along the way by following these five steps.
5 steps to achieving a successful work-life balance
1. Make to-do lists and learn to love them
I adore to-do lists. Before I leave my house in the morning, I have a bulleted list of what needs to be done either in hand or sitting on my desk at work. As everyone who has run a business knows, it is absolutely impossible to recall every single meeting, appointment, and assignment that needs to get done off the top of your head. A list gives you a visual representation of everything you need to do at work, and really helps you to manage your time effectively so that you don’t spend all day on a small handful of tasks.
2. Prioritize exercise for better work-life balance
Many people tend to de-prioritize exercise. You promise yourself you’ll stop by the gym after work, but then you get stuck in your office two hours after closing and after that you just want to veg in front of Netflix in your sweatpants. But regular physical activity is important in achieving better work-life balance.
Since I’m usually pretty tired by the end of the day, I start the morning by exercising. It is relatively easy to get in 30 minutes of spinning while watching the morning news and checking my work email. Regular exercise helps alleviate stress, keep you focused, and boost your energy levels—all of which are important to maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
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3. Block out distractions while working and stay focused
With endless text messages, constant meetings, and incessant email pings, it is all too easy to get distracted and stay there. It is important that you learn how to focus and set aside a time to finish the work you have planned. Calls and emails can wait until the most pressing projects of the day are wrapped up. Even a 10-second distraction can lead to a huge time suck. So before you start work, promise yourself you’ll tackle the larger jobs before starting on the smaller ones.
4. Learn to how better delegate work
Sharing responsibilities with family or friends is extremely freeing. I often use the buddy system for child care—I pick up a friend’s kids from school one day, and they let my kids carpool with them on another day. At work I step back and trust my employees to take care of whatever I don’t have time to do myself.
Remember that being open, honest, and communicative is a major part of sharing responsibility. Know what you can do in a day, and trust others around you to help out when needed. Learning how to delegate work is a big part of time management, and by not trying to do everything yourself, you’ll free up a lot of your time and you won’t be as stressed when the inevitable surprise pops up.
5. Give yourself time to relax when you need it
We all need time to be alone, relax, and unwind. Occasionally taking some time off is nothing to be ashamed of, and is an important part of keeping yourself mentally and emotionally healthy. Even something as simple as reading a book or going out for coffee with a friend can do wonders for your emotional well-being. Just remember to silence your phone and other distractions and truly enjoy your "me time."
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