I wear many hats as someone who works for myself. It keeps me busy and on my toes. One of the hardest things I have had to attempt to master is maintaining balance in my life between work and play.
Mind you, balance does not mean that you spend an equal amount of time doing everything. That is why balance is objective. Balance is supposed to be what works for YOU.
So, how do you manage balance in your life as someone who is constantly having SOMETHING to do for work. Continue reading to find out:
How To Maintain Balance
There's a time and a place
You have to know when to think about work and when not to. While I am writing a blog post or scheduling content for a client, I am not thinking about my social life. I am focused, When I am in my bed, I try my hardest to push work out of my mind. DO NOT work in your bed. I know that one of the best parts for those of us who work from home is the ability to work anywhere at anytime, but you want to make sure that you don't mix where you work with where you rest.
Say no sometimes
In order to maintain balance, boundaries are important. Know your limits and abide by them. Don't accept more jobs than you can handle. Give yourself ample time to do other things other than work.
Work smarter, not harder
Yes, you have to wear many habits. NO, you don't have to be in work mode 24/7. Find ways to be PRODUCTIVE, not busy. That is literally my bread and butter because while I am a woman on the go, I like being able to be a woman who gets a lot done WITHOUT spending unnecessary time getting it done.
Delegate
This may not be in your budget right away, but if you can delegate as many tasks as you can. I would delegate the tasks that you don't enjoy and/or are not really good at. For example, I hate creating graphics and I hate working on websites. So, I got myself a website designer and a graphic designer the MOMENT it was in my budget and it saved me a LOT of time and the jobs were done a lot better than when I was doing it myself.
Get adequate sleep
One of the keys to maintaining balance is having adequate rest. You need sleep so you can focus properly and get more QUALITY work done so that when work time is over, you feel accomplished.
Prioritize Properly
Know what needs to get done and when. Then make sure your to-do list reflects this. I prefer to do a lot of small tasks that help reach a large goal throughout the week instead of just placing a huge thing to do in one day. However, some people thrive when having one huge task to work on throughout the day instead of multiple small tasks. It all depends on you, but make sure you are prioritizing your goals.
When you're not working, DON'T work
When it is time to focus on work, focus. Don't let yourself be distracted, but when you are NOT at work, check your work thoughts at the door. Be with your family. Be with your significant other. Laugh. Joke. Smile. Read a book that captures your imagination. But a healthy mind means a mind not overloaded with work thoughts (and take it from a workaholic: that is not easy to do).
Balance important to not just have business success but life success.
How do you maintain balance in your life?