Work life balance is a challenge for many. The demands of a career and family overwhelm even the most diligent of individuals. Burning both ends of the candle however can become counterproductive. Here we take a look at the important sides of both. More importantly, look to help you find the happy medium between the two. Hopefully, by the time you have finished the post, you will be ready and willing to hit the new year with a completely new outlook on life.
Why Is Balance Important
The simple truth is, if you pay too much attention to one, you will put a huge amount of strain on the other.
Balance is one of those things that is a necessity in almost every area of your life. But applying it isn’t anywhere near as simple as it sounds. Yet, there are a few ways that you can balance things out in your world. So that everything becomes a little more enjoyable.
The importance of preparation and a little extra due diligence added to your life can make a heap of difference as you and your family age.
Learn To Say No
If there seems to be one thing that troubles most people in the working world nowadays, it’s knowing when they are able to say no.
More often than not, bosses and business owners will quickly jump to take advantage of staff. Because the job they have is valued, employees are often backed into a corner, thinking that if they say no to something, they will lose their jobs.
The truth is this, when you start a job, you quite often may have an employment contract, read the contract. Read it for a second time and then pass it somebody else that you trust to read it too. You should always know your employment contract like you know the back of your hand. It’s one of the most important ways for you to know what you must do.
90% of the time employers ask an employee to do something, it’s a chance offering, and they are expecting you to agree out of fear. If you are confident that what you are being asked to do doesn’t fall under your pay grade, then do not be afraid to say no.
If you are made to feel bad about it, there is nothing legally your employer can do to you, and you will again have your time back.
Most employers think that they should hold priority in your life. We all know that this is not always the case. Do you really want to add some balance back to your life? Then it’s time to start to learn when you can say no. The dividend can be giving some of that quality time back to your family.
Know When You’re The Boss
If on the other side of the coin you are the boss and you run your own business, it’s more or less a guarantee that your business will have often taken priority over your family. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. It is something that’s incredibly common among most business owners.
If your business is now set up and established and you are ready to start giving some time back to your family. Then maybe it’s time that you thought about delegating. Now, when we say delegating, we don’t mean hand off your roles to the office for nothing in return. Maybe it could be a great time for you to employ somebody in your place and for you to take a little step back.
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to step away entirely. You could just take yourself away from the business for a few days per week. Allowing you to really take some time to spend with your loved ones. While your business may be important, home life is just as important.
Set Your Goals And Stick To Them
If you really want to add some sort of balance to your life. Then sit down with your loved ones and set some long term goals.
As an employee or business owner, you should know what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it, and also how you are going to achieve it. This should include your ultimate goal and way to repay your family. As well as letting them know just how you plan to repay them with your presence and how you plan to do it.
You should be looking at retirement plans and the considerations within such as whether you could opt for 401k rollover to IRA or something similar that could help in retirement. You should also be looking at your savings and any plausible investments that could help you retire earlier.
It shouldn’t matter what your goals are. What is important is that whatever goals you make, ensure they are attainable and also that you stick to them. Having goals gives you something specific to work towards. It will also help you address some much-needed balance.
While it may not sound easy initially, by employing some of these tips it’s far easier than you imagined to improve work life balance.
There may be hundreds of other ways to address the work life balance. The above are just a few. There is so much in the way of importance that can be attached to finding this balance. We’re sure that if you find the balance, you will see much in the way of improvement to more than just your home life.
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