Your business is everything to you, but it shouldn’t take up all of your free time. While it is true that the key to success is hard work, it is possible to overdo it. You can’t enjoy much wealth if you have no health. Trust me, I know from experience.
You need to dedicate time to switching off and relaxing. This approach will re-invigorate you for when it is time to return to work, and provide you with something to look forward to at the end of the day.
Maintaining a healthy work/life balance isn’t easy, so here 5 top tips that you can use to help improve the ratio.
1. Exercise
It might sound odd to suggest that one of the keys to separating yourself from work is with more work, but hear us out.
Exercise can provide you with another set of goals that aren’t centered entirely on work. You can hit the gym, use exercise equipment or go for a run. Either way, you can fit in a workout regime into your schedule while distracting yourself from the office. What’s more, by arranging your exercise regime for the end of the work week you can create a cool down period between work and home.
Exercise is a great stress relief, so why not use it to your advantage.
2. Find Friends Outside Of Work
Your family is important for creating a safe blanket for you to come home to, one that exists away from the stressors in the outside world. However, you are still going to need to communicate with them about work from time to time. It can help them understand why you are more stressed than usual, or explain why you need to spend more time at the office. After all, good communication is the key to any healthy relationship.
That is why it is important to find friends that exist outside of work. Whether you join a club or just go for regular drinks, it is always a good idea to engage with people and not have to talk about work. As with exercise, this pattern can provide a clean break between you and the office.
3. Try To Make Yourself Inaccessible
There are going to be times where your office needs to get hold of you when you aren’t clocked in, especially if you have an important role. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary for you to bring the work phone into daily life. However, it is also important to know when to switch it off.
Some business leaders choose to own two phones. One for work calls and the other for personal use. By doing so, they can create a solid disconnect between work and home by switching off their work phone when they aren’t in the office. Unfortunately, this approach can be quite expensive for some individuals trying to improve work-life balance.
Luckily, technology has provided an answer to this conundrum. Companies like OpenPhone have created a network that allows you to use one device as a work phone and personal phone in one. Therefore, you can seamlessly switch between modes without having to fork out for two costly gadgets.
4. Get Away
Sometimes it isn’t just the office building that can remind you of work. The area you live in is likely to be very close to your place of work, which means that your surroundings are always going to pull you back into a similar frame of mind.
What’s more, trips out in your local area is going to result in you running into the same faces, probably the people you work with. And what is it they are going to want to talk to you about?
A holiday doesn’t just provide you with the opportunity to explore somewhere new. It is also a way to disconnect yourself from daily life. Try to get away from your house as often as possible. You can book a family stay in another part of the country, or go for a drive somewhere new. The simple act of escape is enough to get you into a new frame of mind and forget about your work duties, for a little while at least.
5. Take Time For Yourself
Every work day is likely to be filled with lots of little interactions. Then, when you come home there is another series of faces that demand your attention. You are probably going to want to spend as much time with your family as you can, but try not to neglect yourself.
Spending time alone is a great way find inner peace and get to know your likes and dislikes. Only by removing yourself from the rush of the world completely can you recharge yourself fully for another work week. Always try to give yourself some time alone to reflect and relax.
You never know, some time to yourself may unlock the answer to a problem that you may not have found otherwise when you practice work-life balance.
Maximize Your Health And Wealth By Finding Balance
Whatever you do in the world of work, always remember that there is more to life than earning a pay check. Work to live, don’t live to work. Enjoy yourself as much as you can outside of work and you may find that your time at the office becomes more enjoyable.