Friday, October 17, 2008

Healthy Lifestyle: Tips on Achieving Work-Life Balance

The demands of life and career can be tough especially if you are juggling more roles and responsibilities. With so many demands on your time — from overtime to family obligations — it can feel difficult to strike this balance. The stress and anxiety that accompany these demands can be damaging to your relationships, health, and career. Achieve work-life balance for better health by following these tips:

1. Evaluate your priorities.

You do not need to be present at every single family affair or overtime meetings. The first step to achieving a work-life balance is to evaluate your priorities and the things and goals that are important to you. By identifying your priorities, you can judge other activities if they can help you reach your goals or not.

2. Keep a record of your activities.

Record a list of work-related and non-work-related activities. Do this for a week then sit down and decide which of these activities are directly connected to your goals, are necessary, and satisfying to you. Cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy and don't have time for. If you don't have the authority to make certain decisions, you can talk to your supervisor or boss about it.

3. Take advantage of your options.

Sometimes, the desire to appear as the over-responsible adult can cloud your judgment and put an extra load in your arms. Instead of picking up the slack for everyone in the office every time, find out if your employer offers flex hours, a compressed workweek, job-sharing or telecommuting for your role. The flexibility offered by these options can help you alleviate some of the stress work and life can bring without resorting to taking anxiety discount drugs.

4. Learn to compartmentalize.

Sure, in-job competition has the tendency to consume you and this, can wreck havoc in your personal relationships. Learn to compartmentalize by leaving work and all things relating to work at the office and concentrate on your family and personal life once you get home. It'll also help if you'll instruct your colleagues and family members to contact you at home and at the office, respectively, on in cases of emergency.

5. Manage your time.

Time management is essential if you are striving for work-life balance. Organize household tasks efficiently to maximize your efficiency. Doing one or two loads of laundry every day, rather than saving it all for your day off and running errands in batches are good places to start. You can also put up a weekly family calendar of important dates and a daily list of to-dos will help you avoid deadline panic. If your employer offers a course in time management, sign up for it to learn better tricks and techniques at dividing your time between work and personal life.

Despite these tips, one of the best things you can do to achieve work-life balance easily is to keep yourself healthy and at your peak. When you are healthy, you can do your job and tasks easily at work – leaving you with plenty of opportunities to enjoy your life and attend to personal relationships.

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