This is what works for me. 😊
1. Define what balance means to you. Be specific.
As the answers below have mentioned, the idea of work-life balance exists in the mind and it depends on what each person defines and accepts as “balance”.
For example, does balance means allocating 3-4 hours per day to do what you want to do? Or are you ok with longer work hours on weekdays as long as you have the weekends to yourself?
When you define it, it is easier to work out a plan on how to achieve it.
To illustrate, my idea of work-life balance is:
- having 1-2 hours to meditate daily (must-have)
- having weekends to myself (must-have)
- having minimum 30 minutes daily to exercise (must-have)
2. Keep a daily journal of your time
Find out where your time goes through journaling. As I started writing down what I do every hour, I noticed how many hours I spend on meetings that can be reorganized to be more effective. When I cut out my time wasters – there’s more time to do the stuff that I feel brings balance to me.
3. Make a plan and stick to it
Once you’ve done points 1 and 2, make a plan on how to achieve that balance. Allocate dedicated time slots to do what you want and really do it.
For example, my must-haves for a balanced life includes daily meditation and exercise. So I’ve allocated a main time slot and an alternative time slot which I can shuffle around to suit my schedule:
Main time slot
6pm – 7.30pm: walk 30 minutes minimum
8.30pm – 11.30pm: meditate 1 hour minimum
Alternative time slot
6am: meditate 1 hour minimum
7am – 7.30am: simple 30 minutes exercise
4. Acceptance and being realistic
Depending on the job nature, sometimes we just need to accept that the job will require a certain amount of time and effort.
For example, my job requires me to connect with colleagues globally on meetings/project workshops/problem solving. Due to 12-14 hour difference in our time zones, my work day can end at 9pm, 10.30pm etc. I accept that this is just part of my role. Plus I’m grateful that the late night meetings are reasonably paced out and that I have an agile work environment – which allows me to better manage my time.
If our current work arrangement is something that we can’t accept, then we need to move on and look for something that matches our definition of balance (goes back to point 1).
It’s also worth noting that there will never be a perfect work that 100% matches all our expectations, so we need to discard our unrealistic expectations too where applicable.
5. Meditate
Meditation helps clear out all the busyness, stress, and unrealistic expectations from my mind. Because the mind is clearer, it increases efficiency at work, frees up time and widens my capacity to accept and enjoy more of what I’m doing.
For a long time, I felt life was too heavily focused on work with little time and strength for anything else. It was only after I started meditating, coupled with exercise, that I felt life became more balanced.
I hope this can help you. Also take some time to check out below video that could help you more.
All the best! 💛😊
