Top 3 Ways to Balance Your Personal Life and Career
The hardest part of growing your career isn’t dealing with your boss and daily demands; it is finding time for your personal life. We know this firsthand. It is hard sometimes to draw the line between our career and personal lives when the lines blur so much with our own work. In order to be your best at work it is important to find balance in your career and personal life. We have a few tips to help you work through the struggle of balancing your career with your life outside of the office.
Define work time and personal time
Many times, it is easy to find yourself clocking in at 7 AM and leaving at 8 PM, even if you really only need to be there till 5 PM. Staying longer can make you look good to your boss, but what good are you to your boss if you aren’t clear and ready to go the next day? Defining personal boundaries with your workplace, both physically and mentally, will allow you to know when to shut off both your mind and work phone. Set times that are reasonable for you to work and not to work. Knowing these will make you better when you come back the next morning.
Choose a release from work that is healthy
During your personal time after work, you should have a healthy release from job stress. For many people, this means heading to the gym or attending a yoga class they love. Getting away to a place where you can turn off your phone and pull away from the hustle of work life is very important. Find something you love that gets you moving, away from another screen, and find a partner to go with you. It could be cycling, running, long walks, or anything that interests you. We are big advocates of gym time.
We schedule a yoga class, cycling class, or an hour to just hit the weights in the gym. The release is great and we are both doing our own thing even if we are in the same class. It is a great hour of release at the beginning or end of the day for us. Either way, make it a priority and keep it as a regular part of your routine.
Separate your work life and personal life as much as possible.
Sometimes it is hard to find separation, especially if you live with co-workers or your closest friends are co-workers, but find separation every way you can. If your friends are co-workers, suggest not talking about work or the drama of the office when away from work. Try to find common interests outside of the office. Then, make sure you have a phone, email and social channels that are separate from your job.
Having these spaces allows you to remain you while in the process of doing a great job at your job. Be mindful of this separation; just as you shouldn’t check your work-spaces during your personal time, you also shouldn’t check your personal spaces during your work time. Give each section of your life equal dedication while you are present in that time of day.