Overwhelmed?

Is work-life balance possible?

Welcome back!

Today I will be covering something that even I struggle with, work-life balance. After reflecting on my current situation, I have realized that I have loaded up my schedule to the max.. I am working 50+ hours a week, live-streaming 12 hours a week, taking three college courses, being an affiliate for products, staying active in the gym (trying to), and running this blog. I have had this post in my drafts for days trying to find a time to work on it. When you allow task to take priority in your life you risk ruining relationships and your health.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

When doing research on work-life balance there are two different types of articles I run into. First are articles that talk about what better work-life balance can do for a business. The other articles actually talk about how to achieve work-life balance. That is what we will be targeting in this post. Perhaps in the future I will do a post on how leaders can push better work-life balance effectively. To keep this from being an overly long post we will keep that separate.

Prioritize!

List out everything in your life and then label them in order of what is most important to you and what is least important to you. You may find that your top three are not work related! Perhaps its family, health, and friends. Now that your list is made look at your current schedule and see how it lines up with your list. Are you happy with the results? If not, then some sacrifices or boundaries need to be made to free up some of your routine to include more of what matters most to you.

Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash

Say NO!

This is one of the hardest things for me. I feel as though I agree to any task. Communication is a fantastic thing and can truly save you from be overloaded with things to do. There is no harm in explaining how much you have lined up already. If you can’t say no to something specific, then see if extending deadlines is an option. Most people will respect your schedule and be flexible.

Self-Care!

If you did not place yourself in your list of priorities, then you need to fix it right this instant. There must be a time in your schedule for you. This can be for a hobby or anything you have been wanting to do. If you get rid of all your hobbies, then you are getting rid of a core piece of your personality. It is not selfish to put yourself first once in a while.

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

Freedom!

There should always be a section in your schedule that stays opened up. This offers you flexibility and can reduce your stress a ton if something comes up. The best part is that if it stays open you can fit more time for fun and family in those gaps. Even if you just lay in the bed, that does not mean that time was wasted. Rest is essential in your health physically and mentally so your schedule should include enough hours for you to get a good night’s sleep.

In my time reflecting on this subject, I have decided that temporarily I will switch to bi-weekly post. This will allow me to produce better quality content on this blog, and I will be able to focus on my schooling and live streaming as well. As I finish up classes and gain a better schedule with work, I will go back to my original schedule of one post a week. Thank you everyone for your continued support!

“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” - Dolly Parton