No, it’s not easy, life wasn’t meant to be easy, it’s meant to be challenging and a process of growth and learning.
Here are 7 great rules to get you on the right track to start creating the Work Life Balance you want:
1. Know your values. Get really clear on what’s the most important thing in your life. Is it family? Health? Work? Success? List all the important things and then start to figure out what are the non-negotiables. For example, a client of mine this week came up with a beautiful saying when we were going through this task. He said “I’d rather live in a tent with my family than in a mansion without them!” I thought it summed up his priorities perfectly! Once you know your values it becomes easy to make decisions about your time.
2. Make time for yourself. Everyone knows the old saying about fitting the oxygen mask to yourself before you assist others. That’s how we should be living our lives. Get into the routine of taking some time out for you. Whether it’s a bath in the evenings, a glass of wine as the sun goes down, or a few hours on the weekend doing what it is that makes you happy, it’s critical you get some quality time with yourself each week.
3. Be an example to your children and family. Would you like for them to grow up with a belief that success is to be busy? Or that work is more important than family? Or perhaps that their own happiness isn’t as important as others? What values are you giving them? Make sure you are setting a great example for the people around you.
4. Be prepared. If you know you have a busy week coming up, cook a few healthy meals on Sunday night and pop them in the freezer. Chop up some carrots, celery and do some Tupperware containers of dried fruit or other healthy snacks for those times when you’re flat out. Organise lunches, and plan any extra activities that will need to be fitted into your week.
5. Get organised. It’s much easier to manage a busy schedule when you’re organised and have a system for keeping track of events, meetings, due dates and general tasks. Whether it’s a diary, a note book or an electronic gadget make sure you have all your essential information in one place. If you often create To Do lists, ensure they are kept together and orderly so you can track your progress and really gain a sense of achievement when you cross things off!
6. Declutter. If you’re losing things, or worse, simply never get around to looking for things as the task is just way to daunting it’s time to throw some things out! When things are organised and easy to find in both the house and the office, life becomes much less stressful.
7. Wear your best attitude to work. It always helps when you work at something that you love. Not all of us can have that luxury, but perhaps you can find some aspect of your job/ career that you enjoy. It’ might be that you work with wonderful people, or that you gain immense satisfaction from assisting your clients. Perhaps it’s simply a matter of looking forward to cake on Fridays, find the positive and expand on it. If you can enhance the positives at work you will find life much more balanced.
If you’re really ready to step up and start living life and need a little assistance to get started, please give me a call on 0409 224 303 and we can work on it together.
Today let’s make a few things perfectly clear. Work life balance is a personal choice, it’s a matter of prioritising and ensuring that your values are being met at all times.