A good work-life balance is possible with a few key changes.
The "balance" in work-life balance does not mean an even divide between work and home. It's about managing all the responsibilities you have in both these areas of your life without feeling burnt out or resentful. Try these strategies to avoid feeling exhausted and improve your health and productivity.
Choose and chuckSomething easy to start with. We all have loads of reports, articles and documents we'd like to read when we get the chance. Well, that's usually never these days, so unless they are essential to your job and must be read immediately, file 'em or chuck 'em. Whatever you do, don't put them in a pile that sits on your desk creating a visual stressor. Removing that paper tower makes your desk seem lighter and brighter and makes you feel a bit less overloaded. Besides, it's fun to fling stuff into the recycle bin.
Know your peak timeYou may not be able to influence what time the manager chooses to run their team meetings but it is likely you know whether you're a morning or evening person. Maybe mid-mornings are your most productive time; maybe your real energy kicks in during the late afternoon or perhaps you're a night person who can operate effectively until the wee hours. Think about when you are at your most productive, especially with challenging tasks that require high-level planning, problem solving or developing new ideas. Where practicable, plan your work around these times. Do the most important and challenging tasks in your peak time and leave the more mundane tasks for when you're slower and less energised.
Schedule some slack-off time
No, not for snoozing or goofing off but the space that needs to be carved out and owned in between appointments that allows you some travel or lag time. You can't work effectively if your diary is full of back-to-back commitments that don't allow you a few minutes for travelling from A to B (even between floors), dropping off folders, returning an important call or even visiting the loo. Make a mini-appointment with yourself before a meeting to allow time to read through any documents that will form the basis of the meeting's agenda.
This should prevent delays if everyone present has read the paperwork and familiarised themselves with the topic. It will also keep the meeting on track and on time.
Say no more oftenLearning to say no can be difficult at first. You don't want to be viewed as unco-operative or the "bad guy" but you also don't want to be the pushover who is overworked and underappreciated. Saying no can reduce your stress levels because it gives you time for more important things. Also, others become aware of what you already have on your plate and you have control over how much extra work you can accept.
Always say no firmly and politely. Despite being sympathetic to their request you can say, "I just can't fit it into my schedule." However if your boss is the one asking, you can say, "I'll show you my schedule and we can decide what other task needs to be dropped instead."
Your no can be softened by providing alternatives such as "I know Jack was working on a similar document and he might be able to help you" or "You could try phoning Maria", which will show them you're still trying to help.
Break it downDon't confuse this with "breakdown". Before feeling too overwhelmed by the size of a project you've been given, take a deep breath, sit down and spend some time planning. Breaking the work into smaller, more achievable chunks allows you to book time in your diary to work on specific tasks, set milestones that show real progress and - perhaps most importantly - allow you to discuss the details of the work, including timelines, resources and priorities with your boss.
Adjust your attitudeAt the first groggy stage of opening your eyes after the alarm has beeped, nothing horrible or stressful has happened yet. Even so, do you find yourself cursing if you drop the soap or spill some coffee? Similar to road rage, our attitudes towards minor incidents can blow way out of proportion because we choose to let them.
Developing a more positive attitude has been shown to help improve health, lessen stress and even achieve more "lucky" opportunities. It will take some practice, though. Just before an expletive bursts out, try asking yourself: "Am I going to choose to be a complaining victim from the second I wake up, or am I going to choose to see the bright side?"
The other thing to ask each time you assume the worst-case scenario is, "What would happen if this actually worked?". Ask "Is it really the end of the world if they've run out of chocolate powder for my cappuccino or if I can't finish this document until tomorrow?"
