Whether you live with your family, are newly married or are a working parent, you are always torn between work and home. It is not the kind of work-life balance they show in movies where a person sits days on end at their desk and is still appreciated at home.
This is real life. Your mom will point out that you have no input in the house, your partner will tell you that you are not an equal participant in the household and your kids will not be on the same page as you. If you thought this was all, then wait until the personal unrest will seep into your professional life and affect productivity.
You must be able to strike the almost-perfect work-life balance to lead a peaceful life. Here are some tips to help you achieve it:
1. Learn to love your work
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The more you feel you’re doing something you don’t love, the harder it becomes to give it your best. Once you start loving your work, you’ll not have to fight yourself to give your best and you will always be on time. Your productivity will increase, you will be appreciated at work, and most importantly, you’ll not be whiling away time trying to get something done. If you’re confident about work, you will be able to focus on other things.
2. Built a strong support system at work and at home
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There is no harm leaning on other people. At work, you may have a second or third person who knows about you and your life, and is willing to step in for you whenever required. At home, you need to have stronger bonds so that they can understand your occasional absence and never make you feel bad about it.
3. Switch off when required without feeling guilty
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When at home, learn to shut off your mobile and laptop and ground yourself in the moment. If at work, learn to draw boundaries for your family and don’t let them overstep them. This way you will have clear demarcations for these priorities in your life and you won’t have to feel guilty about choosing one over the other whenever required.
4. Take out couple-time
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Whether married, dating or married with kids, it is essential to spend time with your partner. It should not be an added pressure, and in fact the opposite. You’ll be able to destress, and feel loved and heard. Sharing intimate moments with a partner is said to release stress and boost endorphins (your happy hormones). So do this for yourself and not just your partner, for you need the love and attention too.
5. Never skip the special moments
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Even if you can come up with the best excuse in this entire world, do not try to skip a special moment of someone close to you. Not just your partner, parents or family, even for your friends–because they feed the soul like knowledge feeds the mind. It might not seem big then, but it is selfish to not give time to those who invest their time and emotions in you. So show up where you are required to without a tantrum. You’ll end up loving your own decision too.
6. Talk to your family about your work
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Don’t shut off when you get home. Don’t push yourself to the edge where your frustration spins out on your family. Trust them to be your support system and your confidants. This will help you bridge the work and life gap.
7. Set your own limits around success
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Success is subjective, it varies from person to person. Sitting and comparing yourself to someone else is the worst you can do to yourself, since both of you may have had different starts in life. One should definitely aim high but setting parameters to your success will help you achieve goals quicker. This way, your highest goal can be just another step for you because you followed a trajectory.
8. Communicate your priorities
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Being a private person is great, to each their own. But at work and even at home you must communicate your priorities to those who have expectations from you. That way they will be aware of how full your plate is and how hard you’re working to achieve each goal in life. This will make them aware of you and on days you forget about yourself running pillar to post trying to bind your crazy life together, these people will understand.
Hope you benefit from these and are able to incorporate these tips into your life for better outcomes.
Lead, Vertical, Thumbnail & Social Image Credits: Still From Bewakoofiyan, Aditya Chopra
