How to Achieve the Balance Between Life and Work

As an adult and one whose aim is to keep their jobs and means of livelihood it is very easy to get sucked into the rollercoaster of a 9 to 5 which would be no problem if one actually gets off work – physically and mentally, at 5pm or can get to work within an hour. The reality however is that most people to beat traffic have to leave in the wee hours of the morning especially in cities where this is a challenge and honestly what city is totally free of the big ‘T’? Returning home at the end of the day is no exception when it comes to congested roads and wasted hours which eventually result in short nights – inevitably, the circle is a ferocious one that pulls and totally takes hostage of an individual’s life especially those in the working-class category, if conscious effort is not made to create an equilibrium.

Balance is needed in everything we do in life, a lack of it takes a toll not only on the individual but on his or her relationships, health, and even the work itself. An individual who barely spends time with loved ones – nuclear or extended and friends would only wind-up old, retired, and without any real connections – lonely because he or she never found time to build and nurture those relationships – intentionally or unintentionally. No matter how time consuming your job might be it is advisable that daily schedules include allotted time, possibly an hour or two, assigned to reach out to people that matter – it could be a short call or an SMS, better still you could fit it to fall in with lunch breaks or even better, while in those stand-still traffic.

Another little habit that has tremendous impact in our efforts to ensure that no facet of our lives suffers is to decide not to do any official tasks as soon as you step out of the office – no matter what. Hear me out, there will always be things that need attention and there will never be enough time either, so as long as no one would end up losing a life if you decide to wait till morning, it is best you leave it to work hours – your health and relationships would thank you in the long run. Whether unfinished tasks or impromptu meetings or late emails find ways to politely excuse yourself or decline or use automated replies that informs the other party that a response would be given within a number of business hours or days – depending on the case. Understandably, there are some things that cannot be ignored and they are the exception, to know what is urgent and important, what is not, and what falls in between, the Eisenhower matrixTM is a very useful tool to make your life much better in this regard – do find out more about it.

Productivity and efficiency on tasks hinges on a balanced life because when other areas of one’s life is going well, it would be evident in the manner other aspects would be handled. Stress, unstable and dysfunctional relationship, and health challenges from imbalance in our life can inhibit job performance and healthy dynamics in other areas. Once work-life balance is achieved it would be evident in all areas. For employers, staffs can be encouraged to create a balanced lifestyle by incorporating unique working structures, flexibility should be part of the mix, and this can be achieved through the ‘work-from-home’ arrangement. They can be made to report at work maybe 3 instead of 5 days a week. Companies can also ensure they acknowledge the concept and importance of interpersonal relationships and what it means by hosting and including family-based events into the company’s calendar. Such events could be a ‘bring-a-spouse-to-work-day’ or ‘bring-a-child-to-work-day’ that could be done once a month or once a quarter. Organizations with more muscle could also create day-care services in the work-space, which fosters the bond between parents and infants even while at work – lunch breaks actually. This also eliminates worry and anxiety that mothers and fathers face with having infants in distant locations and with total strangers. These are suggestions that can be taken to advisement or ignored – the point simply being that we should aim to do anything to ensure we have more humans who have balanced lives in our establishments and as our family members.

To achieve balance in this rat-race themed living requires individuals and employees to be deliberate about certain things, for some it is easier said than done but there is nowhere it says that because a thing is not easy means it is not achievable – nowhere. There are certain contingencies, decisions, and habits that can foster and allow a person experience work-life balance either as an employer for your employees or you as an individual. As an employer is you are clueless as to what the individuals working for you needs to ensure they are balanced, simply ask.