How to balance your career and your personal life
How do you balance your career and personal life and still feel fulfilled?
Let’s imagine a House of Cards, you need balance
Have you ever tried to build a house of cards? If you have a deck of cards lying around your house, get it out and try to build a pyramid of cards.
This is what might happen if you try: you struggle a bit with the first row, but after a few failed tries, you have a few cards standing. Now comes the layering. You have to be extra careful so you won’t destroy everything you’ve built so far. So you try to make another triangle, you move slowly, you hold your breath, and… it topples.
You cry in frustration and you start again. Every single time you are close to completing the pyramid, the cards just fall. And you just stay there and wonder… what are you doing wrong? Why won’t the cards stay still?
The answer that you’re looking for is balance. You haven’t found the right balance in order to build your pyramid.
And this is pretty applicable to real life as well. In order to live life to the fullest and become the best version of yourself, you need balance.
Keep a Schedule
If you are still ‘going to work, then it might be easier for you to separate work from your private life. You leave your personal life at home when you’re going to work, and you leave your work problems at the office when you head back home.
But what happens when you have to work from home? You start lagging, you start mixing chores with work tasks, and you find yourself at 10 PM still not ready with work. Now, you don’t need me to tell you that this isn’t good. But you might need me to tell you what you can do regarding that.
You need to stop procrastinating and create a schedule that you can follow through. This means that if you tell yourself that you are going to start working at 8 AM and work until 4 PM, you need to respect that.
Here are some tips that can help you stick to a schedule:
1. Make a List
Making a list will help you visualize what you have to do for the day, and will make your task seem more manageable. The best way to do this is to make a schedule at the beginning of the week and start each day by writing out what you need to accomplish.
If we’ve been working together on a life coaching program, you will know how important it is to write down your long-term outcomes and break them down into manageable weekly actions. Use this to make your weekly schedule.
2. Use the Pomodoro Technique
If you have trouble concentrating then this technique might suit you best. You set the timer for 25 minutes and concentrate on your work at that time. Once the time is up, you can take a 5-minute break, and then you can continue working.
Remember to move around in your 5-minute break if you have been sitting at a desk! Get those muscles working and try some stretching.
3. Give Yourself Rewards
These rewards can be either small or big, and they usually should come whenever you have a longer break. I recommend having small rewards during the day —maybe a cup of your favorite tea or a small piece of chocolate— and once you finish off work for the day, give yourself a more significant reward, like going for a run or cooking your favorite meal.
Set Some Boundaries
Many of us find it hard to refuse our boss when they try to shove some extra work into our schedule. So we end up working more than we should and even using our free time to complete the assignments that we were given.
This is why you need to set some clear boundaries, not only with your employers but also with yourself. If your boss wants to push on extra work on you, maybe say yes but in a timescale that is really not driven by arbitrary targets.
It might be important for you to climb on that corporate ladder, but don’t forget that there are other things worthwhile besides your career. Like spending some quality time with family and friends, or doing things that you enjoy. Or simply allowing yourself time to rest, revive and revitalize.
So once you clock out, no more work.
Manage your Finances
A lot of stress is caused by money. You might think that you have to work more in order to afford the things that you want. But what’s the use of overworking yourself and ending up spending all of your money on restoring your health?
I think that the best option would be to set a monthly amount that you save up. That way, you know that you’ve got a backup in case anything happens. The stress caused by money will be significantly lower, which gives you more freedom and more confidence.
Bottom Line
Now, you might think that this is easier said than done. And it might be true. You’re reading all of this, you’re thinking that this should be a piece of cake. And then you try it. It might go well for a couple of days, but will it last?
If you want to get a sense of ease in your life and eventually form good habits that will offer you the balance that you have been looking for all along, then maybe you need a coach.
A coach can help you accomplish all of your long-term goals by motivating you and pointing you in the right direction. You don’t have to go on this journey of self-improvement alone, a coach can always be there for you.
And luckily, you have a qualified and experienced coach right here. So start off your house of cards and contact me today.