6 tips for a better work-life balance

1 Let go of perfectionism

Many determined teens develop perfectionistic tendencies at a young age, while the demands on their so-called “work time” are still limited to school, hobbies and perhaps a small part-time job. You can maintain these habits as a child, but as you grow up, your day-to-day life becomes more complicated. As you climb the career ladder and start your own family, responsibilities automatically expand. Perfectionism becomes unattainable, and if these habits are maintained, they can become destructive. A good self-help book for this is #OfficeSurvivalGuide by Marilyn Puder-York. The key to avoiding #burnout is to let go of perfectionism. As life becomes more diverse and complex, it’s very difficult, both neurologically and psychologically, to maintain the habit of perfection. Marilyn Puder-York cites in her book that the healthier option is to strive not for perfection, but for excellence in specific areas.

2. switch off

From telecommuting to specialized computer programs, technology has made our lives easier in many ways. But it has also created expectations of constant availability. The workday never seems to end. There should be times when you simply turn off your phone to enjoy the moment. Phone notifications interrupt your downtime and inject an unconscious stream of stress into your system. So don’t text during your child’s soccer game or send work emails while you’re with family. Turn free time into real quality time. By not responding to updates from work, you will develop more resilience. Resilient people have a greater sense of control over their lives, while reactive people have less control and are more prone to stress.

3. work out and meditate

Even when we are busy, we make time for the important things in life – for example: We eat, we go to the bathroom, we sleep. And yet, one of our most important needs – exercise – is often the first thing to be neglected when our calendars are full. Exercise is an effective stress reducer. It pumps beneficial endorphins through our bodies. It lifts our mood and can even put us in a meditative state. It’s generally recommended to set aside a few hours each week for self-care, whether it’s through exercise, yoga, or meditation. And if you’re really pressed for time, start small: with deep breathing exercises during your commute, a short five-minute meditation session in the morning and evening, or replacing alcohol with healthier forms of stress relief. What is balance? Balance doesn’t always have to be about completing and achieving a task, but also about self-care so that the body, mind, and spirit are refreshed. These exercises require only a small amount of effort, but they pay off. The key is to find something you can incorporate into your life that activates your own parasympathetic nervous system. Short, meditative exercises like deep breathing or grounding your senses in your present environment are a good place to start. The more often you do these exercises, the more you activate your parasympathetic nervous system – which calms, and not just for the moment.

4. limit time wasting activities and people

First, determine what is most important to you in life. This list will look different for everyone. Therefore, it is important that this list truly reflects your own priorities and not those of others. Afterwards, the boundaries should be drawn so that you can devote time to the people and activities that are at the top of your list. From now on, it will be easier to determine what needs to be deleted from your schedule. If email or surfing the web is driving one into a time-wasting spiral, rules should be established to keep us on task. This may mean turning off email notifications and only responding at certain times during the day. If you find yourself mindlessly surfing Facebook or cat blogs when you should be working, it’s better to try productivity software like Freedom, #LeechBlock or #RescueTime. And if you find that your time is being gobbled up by less constructive people, find ways to diplomatically limit those interactions. Do you get cornered by the chatterbox in the office every morning? Apologize politely. Drinks with the work group the night before a busy, important day? Better to retire and get a good night’s sleep. Focus on the people and activities that reward you the most. To some, this may seem selfish, but it’s not. It’s like breathing masks on an airplane: you put the oxygen mask on yourself first so you can then support others. It’s the same when it comes to being a good friend, spouse, parent, or worker – because the better you are at being yourself, the better you’ll be at all those things, too.

5. change life structures

Sometimes we get into a rut and assume our habits are set in stone. Take a bird’s eye view of your life and ask yourself: what changes could make life easier? So instead of trying to do everything, focus on activities you specialize in and value most. Everything else should be delegated or outsourced. Delegating can be a win-win situation. One tip is to always talk to key stakeholders in different areas of your life – which include employees or colleagues at work, a spouse, or a partner in a community project. In doing so, find out what you can do to let go in a way that benefits others by giving them opportunities to grow as well. This gives you a chance to learn something new and free up your back so you can devote yourself to higher priorities.

6. start small – and expand further

We’ve all been there: crash diets that come to nothing, New Year’s resolutions that we forget again in February. It’s the same with our work-life balance when we take on too much too quickly. Many commit to drastic changes based on these resolutions: They reduce their work hours from 80 to 40 per week, increase their daily mileage from zero to five miles per day. This is a recipe for failure. A small example is: a man, took it upon himself to be home with his family at 6 p.m. every night in the future and still play with the kids and eat dinner together. It failed. Then he started setting smaller goals so that he could be home at least once a week at 6pm. It worked. And he increased to 2-3 times a week. If you’re trying to change a particular thing in your life, start small and experience the first small successes firsthand. Then you can continue to build from there.