The simple way to reduce stress through effective work-life balance.

Have your kids forgotten who you are? Does your partner keep calling the cops when you get home from work or emerge from the study? It may be time to consider analyzing the state of your Work-Life balance.

Have you asked yourself recently whether you?are spending enough time on the things that are important to you? Currently, in a time where?remote work has become the norm?for many of us there is a thin line between work and home. Because of this it is not uncommon that we find ourselves?working longer hours with less breaks.?Now as you are reading this you are probably thinking “…..but I have to put in the hours, its expected!” Some of you are thinking “I have commitments and there are kids to feed and school fee's, rent to pay!” Others are thinking “I have no choice, if I don’t do it I may get fired!”. All of?you know, at some level,?deep down that it’s important to make time?for yourselves and the?things that are important to you.

We all have commitments, we must eat, put a roof over our heads, get our kids through school and university. This means that we need to have some form income from somewhere and that’s usually a job somewhere.

The real question is:?Is it worth it?

Will you sacrifice yourself, your relationships, and your physical and mental health for the sake of a pay-check? When you are 80 years old, and you look back on your life would you be most proud of that time when you helped your daughter learn to swim or the time where you worked 16hr days to meet that deadline?

A lack of work-life balance inevitably leads to stress, and we all know that?stress brings along with it a lot of?risks.?Some of these being?Heart Disease, Obesity, Depression, Headaches, Diabetes, Accelerated aging and even premature death.

Does it not then make sense to ensure that we balance our work and our life and make sure that we get the necessary down time to relax. Not only will this?make you happier, but I can bet it will?improve your relationships?and you will be?more productive.

Now you are thinking “How am I supposed to do that? It’s impossible, I need to get this done and if I don’t my Boss will fire me and then what?”

Below are some tips on how you can achieve a better Work-Life balance?

• Prioritize your health over all else?– Put yourself first. You live once and there are no do overs.
• Set boundaries and stick to them?– Make a commitment to turn off at a certain time. Block out time in your calendar to spend on activities you enjoy and stick to it.
• Set realistic expectations?– If a deadline is unrealistic say that it is and commit to a more reasonable timeframe.?Don’t be afraid to say No.
• Become an expert in managing your time?– Look for things that are time wasters and eliminate them from your routine.
• Ask for help?– Don’t try go it alone.
• Finally accept that there is no perfect formula?– Sometimes you may need to put in that bit extra. The trick is to make sure that these times are exceptions and not the rule.

I recommend?writing down what your best version of Work-Life balance looks like.?Then?list all the benefits you will experience?once you reach your goal. Ask yourself and?write down what it will feel like. This will be your end goal. Next?break this into smaller time bound chunks?that are comfortable for you to achieve.?This could look something like:?In week 1 I will switch off 30 Minutes earlier each day, in week 2, I will switch off an hour earlier and so forth. Finally commit to the plan and celebrate your successes along the way.

This is where most articles would end but not this one. Why??Because you will face some obstacles?when implementing this.

What obstacles can you expect and how do you deal with them?

Your inner critic is going to fight with you!

A lot of the way you have worked and probably always have worked in the past is?built on habits and beliefs you have created over many years. These won’t disappear without a conscious effort and commitment on your part.?Be kind to yourself and take it one day at a time.?Take small steps and?remind yourself why you want this. Finally remember there is?no such thing as failure, only feedback.

Saying “NO” will be hard!

Especially if you are not used to it and even more so if you have a need to please.?Saying NO is going to be a challenge?for some Again I suggest?starting small and saying no to something minor?and slowly build up to the bigger things. In no time you will be an expert.

Your Boss may disagree!

If you are suddenly going to change your working habits from one day to the next this will probably come as shock to your boss. If you make the?change gradually?it will be more palatable and less of a shock. He / She may not even notice.?Leaders are driven by results?and if you can still?deliver on your promise, they will usually be ok with it. If the topic does come up,?address it respectfully but stick to your boundaries.?Remember?your boss is a person too?and he / she is probably struggling with the same issue in his / her life. In very rare cases you may find a leader that will not budge. In these cases, they are most likely only interested in climbing the corporate ladder at any expense.?When that’s at the expense of your well-being It might just be time to consider firing them instead.

And there you have it.?Be kind to yourself,?take small steps and?celebrate your success’s?along the way.

Here is to an improved work-life balance and a more balanced you.

If you found this article helpful you may also enjoy the article on?Overcoming Worry.

For more articles please visit my website here.

Until next time.

Rob