Work-Life Balance: 5 Steps to Success for a Healthier You
Discover five actionable steps to achieve a better work-life balance and improve your personal and professional well-being. Learn to set boundaries, prioritize your health, unplug from work, schedule quality time with loved ones, and start small to create a more balanced and fulfilling life. Tune in to the Upside, Downside with Danielle and Jeff for expert insights on achieving work-life balance.
These days, you may feel it impossible to distinguish between your professional and personal lives due to remote work, super-smart technologies, and more flexible schedules.
However, maintaining a healthy work-life balance does not necessarily require a 50/50 split — or any numbers at all.
Achieving a better work-life balance is a goal that nearly every professional seeks to achieve. Creating a healthier, more balanced routine, however, can be a challenge.
How can you recognize when there is a problem when there is so much fluidity? Let’s get into five actionable steps you can take to achieve a more balanced you professionally and personally.
- Don’t be afraid to say “no”
One of the hardest soft skills for any committed professional to learn and practice is saying no. It is however an important part of setting boundaries. Identify what your daily responsibilities are and learn to articulate and prioritize them.
You can learn more about the power of “no” in season 2, episode 4 of the Upside, Downside with Danielle and Jeff.
By saying “no” to things that aren’t as meaningful as they once were, you will have more “yes” time and energy to spend on things that are more of value to you.
2. Make your health a priority
A healthy lifestyle begins with recognizing the importance of physical health, emotional well-being, and mental fitness. Make your day more meaningful by incorporating simple, supportive actions.
Consider the following habits:
- Daily meditation
- Physical activity/exercise
- Social connection
- Practicing gratitude
- Utilizing your paid (or self-given for you entrepreneurs out there!) time off
3. Set boundaries so that you can truly unplug
Set a clear work schedule and communicate it to your colleagues and customers to avoid confusion. It should include when you will be working and when you will not be available.
Using an autoresponder can be a simple way to notify those who contact you via email that you are unavailable.Moreover, this message may also inform them when you will be able to respond. By doing this, the pressure to continually check work emails is removed.
Establish a system that will allow key stakeholders to get in touch with you in the event of a true professional emergency so you will be assured that you will not miss anything vital.
4. Schedule time for your framily (aka your friends and/or family)
In order to avoid spreading yourself thin to the point where nothing feels fulfilling, you should identify what is truly important to you. Give yourself a period of time that you can devote solely to your family or friends.
In order for this to be successful, everyone in your circle must make this time a priority. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Taking the necessary steps to carve out this time will require a collective decision from all of you.
If you live far away from your family members or other loved ones, this may also be the time to call them.
5. Start small
Who hasn’t experienced a New Year’s resolution that fizzles by February? It takes more than motivation to change behavior.
A dependable reminder that prompts us to do the behavior is another key ingredient for success. The key to success is to make something so straightforward and so small that you have no excuse for not taking action. Something that you can complete even in a hurry, if you are ill, or if you are distracted.
In other words, small, achievable goals lay the foundation for success and balance!
Put a priority on maintaining a healthy work-life balance
Maintaining work-life balance and integrating work and personal commitments is a continuous and fluid process. As your interests and circumstances change over time, you will be continuously learning and adapting. A number of key skills will need to be developed, including time management abilities.
Have fun with it! Remember to periodically revisit your priorities to see if they have changed. Ensure that your priorities are aligned with how you are spending your time and energy.
Tune in to the Upside, Downside with Danielle and Jeff for insights into achieving a realistic work life balance whether you’re just starting off your career or running 18 businesses- start small, tune in now!
Hosted by Danielle Michel (President and founder of MTRS) and Jeff Bergstein (founder of Jeff Bergstein Consulting), the Upside, Downside dives into the world of business, finance and everyday life and the ups and downs that go along with it. It’s a heck of a ride you won’t want to miss! Available to listen wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.