Hello my friends, I have a special treat for you. My friend Eden Williamson wrote this post a few years back, and I thought we could all use some advice on balancing life and work. She has a lot of excellent points we can all take to heart. Enjoy!
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Balance Life and Work
Let’s face it. In today’s society, there is just too much going on. We are dizzy with everything we have to accomplish each day. The good news is, there are things we can do to help balance life and work.
Some people are just better at keeping that balance than others. If you find that you are one of those that have a hard time, here are some things you can do to help keep it balanced.
Create a Schedule
Set yourself a schedule and maintain it. Plan your most important tasks early in the day. Most people are at their peek during the earlier hours. You can usually concentrate longer on the most important tasks and then fill in the rest of the day with other stuff. Learn to adhere to your schedule. It will take some time, but once you do, you will find it helps a lot. Especially if you have a home office. Home distractions are the hardest to get around, so plan your schedule when you know the house is going to be quiet.
Set Boundaries
I read an interesting article that said that some people who have a home office, like to put a sign on their door that clearly says “I am working! DO NOT DISTURB!” Let your household know that your work is just as important as it would be if you had to work away from the home. Set boundaries to let them know when you can and cannot be disturbed.
Learn to Say NO!
I know, this is one of the hardest things for me. Someone calls and wants you to give them a ride, go shopping or fix something for them. We have this internal need to help others. However, sometimes our schedule is so hectic we can’t just get up and walk away from it. If helping someone else will set you back on your schedule, you are much better off saying no.
Distractions
Distractions can not be helped. They happen. It is how we deal with them that matters. If something comes up and you have to step away from your work, don’t be hard on yourself. Take the time to take care of whatever issue it is, then get back on schedule. When you create your schedule, be sure to leave some time in there for the minor distractions you know you will have each day. This will keep you from getting too stressed.
Stay Flexible
You want to stay flexible enough that you can handle anything that comes your way, and yet be able to maintain a workable schedule. As I mentioned before, allow some extra time in your schedule so that if anything should come up, you can handle them and then get back on task. Some days, just will not work out as you planned. You just have to make adjustments and keep going.
Prioritize Your Goals
Goals are the key to your success. Plan out your goals. What do you want to achieve? Take the larger goals and break them into smaller tasks. Be sure to treat yourself along the way as you meet your goals. The whole reason you are going into business for yourself is so that you can succeed in life. You have wants and needs that need to be met. Take the time to lay out a road map of how you plan to meet those needs and wants.
Take Time out for YOU
Burnout can happen quickly. We want so bad to obtain our goals that we forget to stop and take breathers. Maybe your time for yourself could be a soak in a good hot bubble bath or, better yet, a nice long walk in the woods. Whatever it is that you like to do to relieve some stress, take the time to do it for you.
If you take the time to follow these steps, you will find that you have more time to relax and a lot less stress in your life. You will find that you are more productive, have a better state of mind and an increased morale. Signs of an unhealthy balance can mean stress, burnout and health issues. It has been proven that prolonged stress will cause some people to get sick. Then they wonder why they are sick and the cycle goes on.
Learn to balance life and work. It will take practice at first. Take it one step at a time. You want success but not at the cost of your health. Enjoy the journey!
By: Eden
https://iwanttostartmyownbusinessathome.com/
I met Eden through the community at Wealthy Affiliate. This community is vast to say the least, so when you find someone who shares your values, it’s becomes easy to stay connected and help each other out. Though I must say she’s more experienced than me so this friendship is NOT balanced. HaHa. But I truly appreciate her and wish her great success!
If you would like to leave either of us a comment or question, please leave it below. I’ll make sure she gets it.
And if you have anyone in your life who could use some help to balance their work and home life, please share!
Your friend,
Suzanne
All great points and things that I know but do not always practice. It is good to be reminded from time to time so that we can course correct.
It is and has been a joy for me to know both you, Suzanne, and Eden. As well as all of the others in our Wealthy Affiliate community who share our values.
Eden thank you for the guest post and Suzanne thank you for hosting her as a guest. Thank you both for your friendship.
Kind regards,
Carl
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment. I appreciate your friendship as well. Wealthy Affiliate is such a wonderful platform, not only for learning about online marketing, but for it’s community. It’s been so helpful connecting with people like you 🙂
Blessings,
Suzanne
Thanks for sharing this post, Suzanne. As a health care professional, these were things I incorporated into my career without even needing to think about it, but in retirement I’ve become more lax. It was really a helpful reminder now that I’m working on WA instead of just bumming around! It was especially helpful to be reminded of saying “No” and setting boundaries. As with most of us with home offices, distractions is another bugaboo for me that I need to learn to take into stride better.
Hi Carol,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Setting boundaries is certainly a learned thing. And personally, I have a very difficult time saying “NO”. Sometimes I think we’d all be better off if we print this off and tape it near our work space. HaHa.
Blessings,
Suzanne
Wow, this is so helpful. I know in the beginning of my internet marketing venture I was ALWAYS finding it difficult to say no especially when my friends just wanted to go out and drink all the time. When I started saying no and kept on track with my goals, I started seeing results. Ever since then I never looked back. Cheers
Hi Brandon, and good for you!! It’s important to schedule your time for both. If you let your peers distract you too much, your business will suffer. I’m so happy to see you commit to your goals and that you’re now seeing the benefits.
Cheers,
Suzanne