Four Ways to Achieve a Healthy Work-Life Strategy

Do you find it difficult to balance the demands of your work and your personal life? Balance presumes that there is an equal distribution of weight or value and we all know that is not realistic. Instead, consider putting a strategy to each demand and achieving the most out of each task.

The best work-life strategy is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives. Here are four tips you can use to build your own strategy:

  1. Prioritize To-Do’s

Approach each day with an idea of the tasks you want to accomplish. Keep an on-going task list that you can re-prioritize throughout the day since we all know that priorities can change in an instant. Consider dividing the list of your overall responsibilities in the following way: Urgent, Need To-Do and Things That Bring Enjoyment. If you don’t have much control over the hours you work, you can work on focusing your time and attention on the things you can control. It’s important not to forget to nurture yourself.

  1. Schedule Downtime and Productive Time

Build time into your schedule for exercise, family time, hobbies, a get-together with friends or “me” time. You are more likely to manage your time for these activities if they are scheduled. This gives you something to look forward to during the week. Consider having a plan on your days off so the entire day does not get wasted away. Pay attention to when you are most productive at work and block that time off for your most important work-related activities.

  1. Hit the Off Switch

Managing your screen time may be the best gift of time you can give yourself. On average, adults spend 2-4 hours per day on their phone. Consider moving heavily used apps away from your home screen to another page and adjusting the notification settings. Is it really that important to see a comment on a photo you’re tagged in? Keep in mind, picking up the phone is like eating potato chips, one click can turn into many. Put down the phone, look up and be present for yourself and those around you.

  1. Make Health a Priority

Research has shown that people who follow a healthy lifestyle are happier, take less medications, have more energy and are sick less often. Taking care of yourself first allows you to take care of others around you. Let’s be realistic and acknowledge that this is easy to say but not always easy to achieve. Life can get in the way of our best efforts to make healthy changes. A good way to start is to set achievable goals. Making healthy changes is about progress not perfection. Each day offers a new opportunity to be successful.

Take time to evaluate how you manage your work and personal time commitments. Start by making small changes and measure their success. Only you can decide what suits you best when creating your own personal strategy.

 

Contributed by: Amy Noel