For many people, their work life and personal life are two worlds that they cannot seem to coordinate successfully.


This is why many people have succeeded in one and failed at the other. There’s more to life than a successful career.

But then also, what is life without an opportunity to pursue your goals and dreams? For this reason, it is important that you know how to balance your personal life and work life. Below are five smart tips to help you balance your personal life and work life.

1. Practice time management: Time is a very scarce commodity. Knowing how to manage it can help you strike a healthy balance between your work and life.


Rather than start a day without a clear plan, it is better to schedule your time to fit these two parts of your life. To do this, you need to schedule particular days that you will meet with your family, friends and loved ones out of your busy schedule.

Also, you can map out a certain time of the day or days of the week when you will focus on your work without distractions. When you make these plans, do your best to stick to them. Resolve not to break them in as much as it is within your power.

2. Identify and discard what drains you: There are certain activities that drain you of your efforts (mental and physical) and also waste your time. It may be the unnecessary banter with colleagues or time spent on the social media. Whatever they may be, you need to identify these time and energy wasters and do away with them. When you do this, you will free up more time to concentrate on your job which can help you finish the day’s task on time. This is will in turn free up more time for you to enjoy your personal life.

3. Create boundaries: Compartmentalize your life. In this context, you can broadly categorize your life into work life and personal life. To be able to succeed at one without failing at the other, you need to create boundaries and stick to it. For instance, you may have to always remind yourself to finish up your work in the office rather than take it home. Doing this will help you give all your attention to your personal life, friends and family. It will help you to truly unwind from stress. Likewise, you need to give your job the full concentration it deserves at work rather than let your attention wander unnecessarily. Recognize the time you have allotted for your work life and your personal life and adhere to it. Avoid any situation that may warrant any overlapping.

4. Learn to say no: It can be tempting to accept any extra work so as to be seen as a nice colleague or a hardworking subordinate. But if you really want to enjoy your work and personal life, you need to learn to say “no”. No law makes it compulsory to say yes whenever a request for more hours is made. In as much you fulfill your responsibilities, you can always say “no” when extra work is pushed to your desk. Sometimes, it’s not about working hard; it’s about knowing when you are being stretched and when you need to refuel. So, once you are asked if you are willing to do more tasks than your job description, learn to say “no” without feeling bad about it. Your health and personal life counts too!

5. Stay connected: Going through whole day without contact with someone outside of your workplace can make your day feel dull. If you have a partner, spouse or loved ones, you can stay in touch with them at intervals when you are less busy at work. For instance, your break time can be a good time to make a voice or video call to them. You can send text message in between work time to know how they are doing and remind them that they mean a lot to you. It will warm their heart and yours when you take actions like this. Also, it can help you relax better and return back to work with a more focused attention.



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Summary

You can enjoy the best of both your work life and personal life. There is no reason to succeed at one at the expense of the other. Once you define your priorities and know how to manage your time effectively, you will achieve mastery in balancing your personal life and your work life.