Is There Such a Thing as Work Life Balance?

This week is ‘National Work Life Week’. I know the balance of work and life is something many of you struggle with, and guess what?! I am right there with you!

We often hear that we should have a ‘work-life balance’ but what does that actually mean? Well according to the Cambridge Dictionary it means ‘the amount of time you spend doing your job compared to the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy’. Sounds simple!

Finding the ‘balance’ can be easier said than done, however. If you have spent your week working full time, I’m making a guess that a large proportion of your non-working time is then doing cleaning, cooking, washing, shopping, taking the kids to their clubs, walking the dog and the list goes on.  You then reach the end of the week and you may wonder where the week has gone.

You then hear about ‘work life balance’ and feel like you are doing something wrong because it seems anything but ‘balanced’! Sound familiar?! I can assure you that you are not alone.

I will be honest; I think striving to find ‘balance’ is almost impossible. There is always going to be something in our life that needs our attention more at one time than another. One week you may have a work project which takes up the majority of your time, and then the following week you have builders in your home which involves you project managing, and then the following week your child is poorly so you end up spending a lot of your time taking care of them, and so on and so on. The things that take up our time in life will constantly ebb and flow depending on your current priority, and therefore striving for balance is unrealistic.

So my suggestion is that rather than striving for ‘balance’, how about creating some healthy habits that you do, regardless of what is happening around you which creates the feeling of calm and order, even though on paper, it may appear hectic?

So here are my Top 5 Tips that you can implement to help keep the calm in your life…

1. Have a plan
If you go into the week without a plan, it is likely that your week will pass you by and you will end up looking back and wonder where the time went. You may then realise that you actually didn’t do any of the tasks you intended which were meant to be for you. This creates a feeling of overwhelm and frustration and can lead to us feeling exhausted. So how about taking a few minutes during your weekend and write down key tasks you are going to do each day the following week, just for you. If you need to book an appointment or send that text to commit yourself to the task, then this is the time to do it!

This time for you in the week, away from work and your other commitments is key for fulfillment and inner calm. So, whether it is going to your gym class or spending 30 minutes reading your book, write it down and commit to doing it. Every morning remind yourself of the task, and at the end of the day tick it off with pride that you did something just for you.

2. Set boundaries.
This follows on from Number 1 nicely. Being strict with the time you spend working is important to ensure you make the time for you. It is understandable that on occasions you may need to do some overtime to help out, or if you own your own business there will be priorities that need taking care of and will require some extra hours. However there needs to be a cut off point, so that you have time to take care of you and those around you. This is something that I really struggle with so I know some of you may be reading this thinking “this is easier said than done!”

But the first step is having the awareness, and then creating the discipline to switch that computer off, and accept that you will deal with it tomorrow. The more you do it the easier it will become I promise!

3. Find the courage to say no.
Are you the type of person to say yes to everything, whether it be to help out your friends and family or at work?

Helping others is an amazing thing and it is something I feel strongly about, but are the tasks you are taking on causing stress and preventing you from spending time on you? There are times when we politely and simply need to say ‘no’. This may be really hard to do and certainly takes some courage, but as the old saying goes, ‘you can’t serve from an empty cup’. If you don’t take care of you and say ‘no’, you won’t have the energy to help others or help yourself.

4. Ask for help and delegate.
Asking for help may be seen as a weakness and that you have failed, but asking for help is actually a strength. Sometimes we need to ask for help, whether it be at work or in our personal lives. You will find that people are often more than happy to help out, but they can’t help if you don’t ask.  

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, it may just be the best thing you ever do.

5. Remove the ‘hats’.
How many ‘hats’ are you wearing right now? You may have your work hat, your father hat, your mother hat, your sister hat, your brother hat, your grandparent hat, your coach hat, your carer hat, your cleaner hat, your student hat, your friend hat, your cook hat…. You get the gist!! We wear so many different ‘hats’ and this results in us juggling multiple things at once. But what about the ‘you’ hat? Sometimes we need to remove all of our other hats and focus on the most important one which is often left on the side and gets neglected.

So my final tip is to consistently take some time out. Switch off your phone. Do something you love. Or simply do nothing. Be you and don’t feel guilty for taking this time, you deserve it.

We are living in a busier world than ever and things always seem to be moving at the speed of light. By implementing and being mindful of the above steps will hopefully help to create some calm to your days and help you feel more in control of where your time is going.

Here is to a great week ahead.

With love,
Sarah