Life-Work Balance. It Matters.

Its 5 pm on a Thursday and you’re beat from the week and still have laundry to do, dinner to make, bills that are coming due, and kids to pick up. We spend roughly 47 of the 168 hours in a week working. Sadly, only 13% of people enjoy their jobs.

 If you’re lucky enough to fall in the 13% of people who like their job, working can improve your life because those 47 hours are spent on something enjoyable. You don’t dread going to work in the morning and overall, are more content. For the less fortunate who have high-stress jobs and dislike their work, working can make them more stressed overall. Many people are unable to separate personal from work life and added stress in one area of their life quickly begins to affect all the other areas.

How to Gain more Life-Work Balance:

1. Plan out your downtime.

Setting aside time to go out with friends to a movie or happy hour or planning quality family time helps preserve precious time and incentivizes you to manage your time well during the rest of the week. Another great example is gym time. You will never have time if you’re not intentional about reserving time for this. Overall, people who work out regularly have lower stress levels and are healthier than those who don’t.

2.  Get smart about errands and chores.

No one enjoys chores and errands. Think about how you can improve how these get done. For example, you can order your groceries online and save your grocery list so that the next time you order, it populates your cart in seconds. Other companies offer meal prepping services where the meals are already made for you which saves time on grocery shopping and cooking. Most bills can be paid online quickly. Also, think about what chores you can outsource, like gardening or yardwork.

3.  Remember that a little goes a long way

Small changes like leaving the office early one night a week or taking 10-15 minutes a day to recharge will help. You don't have to change how you do everything.

4.  Set Limits

If you find that work is beginning to consume all of your time, begin tracking your time and managing it. Find activities that can be delegated and get them off of your plate. Make a to-do list and prioritize it so that you make the most of your time.