How to Create Work-Life Balance

As demands at work increase, it may become more difficult to maintain a healthy balance between your job and the rest of your life. Some people lose control of the hours they work and find their job taking over time they once used to relax or spend time with family and friends. If you are feeling overworked and tired, perhaps you need to reassess the balance between your work and the rest of your life and create better boundaries.

Instructions

• 1

  Schedule specific time in your weekly calendar when you will not work. Spend this time with your friends or family or doing something you enjoy. Make sure you make this down time as important as the time you devote to your work.

• 2

  Cut out activities in your life that give you no fulfillment. For example, if you spend too much time surfing the Web or listening to a friend or co-worker who complains or gossips all the time, reduce the time you spend doing those things or cut them out entirely.

• 3

  Examine how much time you spend on errands. Ask your spouse to take on some if he has extra time. Figure out if you can have things such as groceries delivered to your house rather than going to the store. Pay a neighborhood kid to cut your grass so you can use that time to relax.

• 4

  Create and stick to an exercise regimen. Exercise will give you extra energy, which will help you work longer, if need be, without losing steam at the end. Exercise also helps you stay healthy.

• 5

  Set goals for yourself that allow you to relax. Leave work early one day per week, if possible. Spend one hour per week on your favorite activity.

• 6

  Learn when to say no. If someone asks you to do something you feel you cannot take on, say no rather than add another responsibility to the pile.

• 7

  Eat healthy foods and get enough sleep. Set aside time to go hiking with your wife or do yoga.

• 8

  Leave work at work. Although it is easy to work at home with the Internet, have separate times for work and times for relaxing with your family when you are at home.