One cornerstone of our daily life is the ability to maintain the balance between the work and the private life. How can we fit to the different fields of our lives while staying fresh and satisfied? at the same time? Is it possible at all to perform well at least similarly in all the fields of our lives?
As a woman, as a mother, we keep asking ourself the questions: do we spend enough time with our kids? Will we regret that we did not spend enough time with them? Do our children miss us when we are working and we are not at home?
The other day I found a Forbes article from the year 2014, which specify 6 tips for keeping the harmony in the work-life balance. Reading through, I went over many things in connection with my balance.
- Stop perfectionism
Many overachievers become perfectionist at young age, in order to fit the time for after-school jobs, language and music courses into the time spent with hobbies. When we are youg we have more energy to keep this habit to try to solve everything within one day.
As time goes by, and we grow up, life gets more complicated. As we move up the career ladder, and our family is growing our responsibilities grow at the same time. Letting this habit without control our perfectionism becomes destructive and unmanageable. One key to avoid burnout is letting perfectionism go. A healthier solution can be to strive for excellence.
It took many long years for me to realise, that being a „good enough mother” is not commensurable to the shining of a tidy flat. Even answering e-mails and prepearing the next day’s training can wait for me until I read bedtime tale for my kids, because these years will never come back.
2. Unplug: switch off your phone and PC!
It would be very important sometimes to switch the phone off and to enjoy the moment the way it is in its fullness. The notifications arriving on our phone interrupt our relaxing time and cause stress without even realising it. It is truly not easy to ignore the arriving e-mails during reading a book, watching a film or playing boardgames with the family. It requires much conciousness and vigilance to make quality time true quality time. To make it happen it can be useful if we think from time-to-time about the valueable things and we live according to them.
3. Move and meditate: spend time with Yourself
We tend to forget about the most important person in the world: about us. When was the last time you asked yourself: and You? What do You need? What do You wish? What would make you feel good? What would you prefer to do the most now?
If we do not pamper, treat ourselves well, and if we do not recharge ourselves, then what can we give or offer to our environment? What are our resources? There are planty of methods for recharging! To read a book in bed on a Saturday morning, to have a yoga class before work, or to eat a piece of cake in the August confectionery after the morning running. To me the morning running is a very cool way of recharging, especially to read a Mária Szepes quote right after that!
4. Minimize the time-consuming activies and avoid the time-wasting people
Plenty of time can be released by saying „no” to an activity that does not serve our mental health anymore, or even to those people who hold us and our development back.
Make a list of the things and people that are the really valueable, important for you. Draw a line in order to invest your time only in those people and activities that really worth your energy.
From this point, it will be easier to decide and to determinate who and what to pull out of the agenda. If you have a work with a certain deadline, then turn off the e-mail’s notification.
If time consuming internet surfing turns you away from work, set up rules for yourself which can show you the right way.
Each morning you run into those collegues, whose company does not fresh you up, but makes you feel tired? Go each day some minutes later! Having a party with the collegues the night before an important day? Apologise, and go to sleep in time! Focus on those people and activities, that charge your up
5. Change the structure of your life!
Instead of doing everything at the same time, it is worth focusing on those activities which are the most valuable for us and delegate and outsource everything else. By this we give the chance and the opportunity to others for developing, while we care about our priorities.
6. Start with small steps and build on it!
All the small things started with small steps. Everyone knowes the new year’s resolutions, the drastic diets and the hard, immediate work-outs. The author of the Forbe’s article says that these are the exact receipt for the downfall. If you would like to rewrite your daily routine, start with small steps and experience the success! Celebrate it and then step to the next stair!
The inspiration was given by this article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/#756c3eb2dbc9
Rita Gallen
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