Mastering Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is an often-elusive byproduct of career nirvana that everyone seems to be pursuing, but few achieve. While striving for that next raise, promotion or dream job, you may be putting everything else on hold. Or, you trade advancement for a comfortable position that allows you the flexibility you need. But, does it have to be an either-or situation? Read on for tips on how to master work-life balance.

• Be Productive
  This may sound like a no brainer, but being as productive as possible at work can and should allow you to leave work on time without feeling guilty. But, it’s not easy for everyone to achieve. If you work in a busy office, distractions are everywhere. Socializing with coworkers is fun, and important, but try to limit water cooler talk to a few minutes in the morning, then get to work. Your boss will notice, and your coworkers will respect you. This will also help you stay out of office drama. If you work in an open space, put on headphones. Whether you’re listening to music or not, it automatically signals, “I’m in the zone.” Make lists and keep track of your progress. This will help define today’s workload and tomorrow’s to-do’s.
• Know What Your Goals Are
  If you want to be promoted, ask your manager what he or she thinks would get you to that next level. Whether they are directly responsible for your promotion or not, they will have a good idea of what needs to be done, and how they’d like to see you grow. Take good notes during this conversation, because for the next six months to a year, you will be mapping to these goals each day. The more concrete examples you can show of what you’ve done to achieve these goals, the better your chances are of advancement. Be sure to do one thing each day that will get you closer to these goals.
• Set Boundaries and Unplug
  If you don’t want to be checking emails all night, let your manager know from the moment you’re hired that you do not check work emails past a certain time in the evening. Explain that you pride yourself on being productive during work hours and that you value the time you spend away from work as well. While you can say you are more than happy to work longer hours as projects demand, it is better for this to be the exception and not the rule.
• Impress at Work and at Home
  Whether you’re single or have a family, take opportunities to shine in your personal life as well as at work. Maya Angelou once said, “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.” Hopefully you have more than one smile to dish out per day, but the takeaway is: Be awesome to the people that count. If you’ve had a crummy day at work, don’t bring it home and vice versa. When you put some effort into being awesome in both your work and personal lives, you’ll find everyone smiling more.

Keep in Touch!
We’d like to hear from you! Email or call us any time. Or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ to keep up to date with industry trends, newsworthy items and to see what’s going on at Activate.