A healthy work-life balance is achieved when we are mindful of our priorities and time down to the minute. As we enter into October, National Work and Family Month, it is the perfect time to reflect on how we all can achieve a healthier work-life balance. Read our top five tips below to help you strike a better balance in your life.
TIP 1 – Stick to your Priorities.
On a daily basis we take part in high priority and low priority tasks. High priority tasks add great value to our lives and are typically things such as family, work, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, etc. Low priorities add little value to our lives and are typically things such as watching TV, socializing, commuting, etc.
With only 24 hours in a day, it is important to focus the better part of every day on high priority tasks. Reflect on what your top three priorities are this year and write them down. Before you begin a new task categorize it as high or low priority. If your task is not of high priority, consider limiting the time you spend on this task or eliminating it from your schedule altogether.
TIP 2 – Schedule your Week in Advance
Scheduling your week in advance is an essential part of having a healthy work-life balance. Doing so allows you time to visualize your week before it begins, to time block important high priority work into your schedule and to eliminate time wasted between tasks normally spent on planning what to do next.
Taking this high level view of your week not only allows you to be more efficient, it also allows you the opportunity to set aside essential down time for yourself weekly as a reward for your hard work.
TIP 3 – Eliminate the ‘Big Three’ Time Wasters
It is easier to achieve a healthy work-life balance if your days are focused on activities that add value to you. Americans spend on average over 6 hours per day on social media (3.2 hours), watching TV (2.8 hours), and socializing with coworkers (.75 hours). Eliminating these time wasters free your mind and schedule for higher value activities.
TIP 4 – Streamline your Day-to-Day Tasks
Every minute is just as valuable as the last. It is not possible to eliminate every low priority task from your schedule but by streamlining everyday tasks and saving yourself just 15 minutes a day, you can free up 91.25 hours every year!
Where can you save time? Instead of waiting for coffee to brew, set it to auto-brew in advance (time saved – 5 minutes a day). Shorten your beauty routine to 20-minutes (time saved – 30 minutes a day). Double batch your dinner and freeze ½ of it as a meal for another day (time saved – 30 minutes per meal).
TIP 5 – Use Parkinson’s Law to Your Advantage
Parkinson’s law is the adage that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. If you give yourself a day to complete a task, it invariably will take a day to complete. Begin expecting more of yourself in less time from your morning email check to finishing a week-long project in less time.
About National Work and Family Month
National Work and Family Month was created in 2003 to celebrate the progress of employers reducing work-life conflict for employees and creating healthier and more flexible work environments.
About Rebecca Rescate
Rebecca Rescate is a three-time business owner and mother of three children ages 8, 6 & 5. With her latest venture 3·Purpose Inc. Rescate is pioneering a new category of products, visual stationary for creative minds. www.3purpose.com