Being successful doesn’t just mean making a lot of money. It means achieving success in all aspects of life, whether it’s nabbing a big client or simply being there for the people most important to you.
Keeping the Scales Balanced:
Keeping all aspects of your life in working order is always harder than you think it is, but here are some ways to make everything go more smoothly:
1. Stay on top of your schedule.
A well-organized schedule isn’t just a schedule; it’s a promise to yourself that you’ll fulfill your most pressing obligations. Scheduling your day can help keep you from getting bogged down in trivial moment-to-moment work, letting you focus on the bigger tasks that matter.
2. Don’t let one creep too far into the other.
What’s important is knowing when you’re working and when you’re not. If you’re constantly on call or always ready to respond to an email, your time at home will start to feel like an extension of the office. Having designated hours of work and designated hours of rest increases your happiness and productivity across the board.
3. Know the schedules of those around you.
Work-life balance isn’t just about putting the “appropriate” number of hours into each facet of your life. It’s also about being around for the key moments. Clocking in 50 hours a week at work doesn’t mean as much when your schedule forces you to miss a big meeting.
4. Analyze your time.
Making the most of your time means spending that time in the most useful way possible, and it’s difficult to get the most out of your time if you don’t know how your time is being spent in the first place. If you’re spending too much time on work each week, see where you can cut back to focus more on your personal priorities.
5. Think about more than just time.
The truth, however, is that just physically being somewhere is different from truly “being” there. We’ve all come home from a hard day at work in a daze, and we’ve all come to work hazy after an exhausting night. Striking the right balance means balancing your energy, as well as your time.
You’re never going to get your best work done if you’re not satisfied with all aspects of your life. Devoting too many hours to your job can actually reduce the quality of your work and bring other aspects of your life down as well. Managing your professional and personal lives is critical to making the most of everything you do, and thinking critically about how you spend your time and energy is necessary for balancing the scales.