Different cultures in the world hold different values. While most cultures value things like family, friends, food, and love; there are others that don’t find a life without work worth living. They believe that a life without hard work is a life wasted. Live to work or work to live? This may not have been Hamlet’s question but it’s the one we are asking you today.
Where do work and life stand in your world? Are you able to balance the two or are you finding it a bit difficult? There is no denying that to get ahead in the world you need to push your way to the top. Yet, are you spending so much time pushing that you are not enjoying the simple things. Things like spending time with your family and friends or reading a book that has nothing to do with the meeting you have in the morning.
But How?
There are several steps you can take to balance your work and your life evenly enough for you to get the most out of both experiences. Let’s take a look.
Get Some Sleep
If you’re tired all the time, then there is no way you can work or live. You will probably spend your time being annoyed by everything and everyone. Working on overdrive to fit everything in while missing sleep can have big ramifications to your health. Problems that can arise include impaired memory, lack of alertness, and even depression.
What you need to do is figure out why you aren’t sleeping and take care of it. Are you are displaying symptoms of insomnia, which is an inability to fall asleep, or sleep apnea, which is when you suffer from shallow or stopped breaths when sleeping? If so you should seek out a medical professional and try some natural remedies like chamomile tea or regular exercise.
Pain is another reason some folks don’t fall asleep and sometimes the culprit is your bed. There are some mattresses that have been specifically designed to help alleviate back pain. If you have any chronic conditions that result is interrupted sleep, then you might need to find a mattress that is right for you. Free Your Spine has a list of mattresses that can help with back pain. Also, if you have a mattress that is more than ten years old, you may want to consider replacing it. There are quite a few options available that won’t break the bank. Check out this review of memory foam mattresses at thesleepjudge.com.
Make Time for Fun and Relationships
This is a very important step in balancing work/life balance. Let’s face it, how many times has someone been enjoying life too much. Folks who live like they are on an eternal vacation are the envy of many. We are talking to the people who can’t seem to step away from that campaign to even play catch with their child.
Sure, the whole “playing ball” scenario has been beaten to death as far as being an analogy of spending quality time with your children, but there’s a reason why. These moments are important because, as time goes by, these opportunities begin to vanish. Set boundaries for yourself where work is concerned so that you can make time for the people in your life outside of the office.
Be Selfish
No one is ever told this in elementary school. We are taught at a very young age that it’s bad to be selfish and we should always share, but is that truly the best way of thinking when it comes to work/life balance? Not really. It’s great to share the chips you brought into the break room but when it comes to your time and energy there is only so much you can give out before you become depleted.
If you are an expert in your field, then you may have colleagues or subordinates continually asking for your advice. Give when you can but, by no means extend yourself where you work, or life starts to become affected. Learn the strongest two-letter word in the English language; no.
Get Organized
This is the best way to keep a handle on what needs to be done now and what can be put off until the next day. If you keep a calendar of due dates for your projects as well as reminders of important family or friend events, you should be able to mentally paint a picture of what you need to be done for each day. This should force you to make that time available for fun and not just work.
Let Go of Excess
Each item in both, work and life, are important. Yet, no matter how many people feel they have to keep up with the Joneses or Kardashians, is it truly necessary and life-affirming to buy more things? It’s great to want a good life and it’s out there for you to have. Still, it’s detrimental to your life when it becomes all you care about.
Instead of wishing for the newest smartphone or the latest gaming console, make time and go outside and walk. When you diminish your desire for things you won’t need to work as hard to make money to buy more useless stuff. We’ve all fallen into that trap, this writer included. Climb out of excess and see what the world has to offer.
Conclusion: –
Balancing your work with your life is very important for your health and well-being. They don’t say “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” for nothing. Sure, it’s great to be successful and spend your life at the top but what if you don’t have anyone to share it with. This is the risk you take when you don’t balance your workload to meet the needs of your life.
