Work is often stressful, and whether you work from home or in an office, we can all agree that maintaining a balance between work and social life is important for our mental well-being. We can’t be everywhere at once, and 24 hours doesn’t feel like enough time to do the things we need to do.
Here are 7 helpful tips to get that ultimate work-life balance. While these tips can serve as a guide, you’ll need to assess and adapt them to your lifestyle, especially when you’re struggling to juggle work and socials.
1. Manage your social hours as well as your work hours.
You keep a calendar at work for those important meetings and deadlines, but your social life may take a toll if you forget someone’s birthday or that date you promised to meet up. Just like your calendar at work, maintaining a calendar of your social events keeps track of all the commitments you made to your family and friends.
Keep your work calendar and your social calendar separate, and create a distinguishing factor between the two. You can opt to keep your work calendar neat, while you unleash your creativity on your social calendar. Either way, a calendar helps you manage your time well.
2. Set aside time for your hobbies.
Humans may be social creatures, but from time to time, we need some moments kept to ourselves. Set aside some time for yourself during the week, and immerse yourself in your hobbies or pampering.
Some alone time helps to redirect your attention to a focal point and resets your thoughts in an organized manner. Take time for you to separate from your work, and pamper yourself with a spa day, or binge-watch that Korean drama you’ve always wanted to watch. Having alone time isn’t selfish, it’s self-care, and you’ll be better rested, focused, and calmer afterward.
3. Get assistance with daily chores.
Chores can take up your whole day, but you need to work and spend time with your family too! Luckily, some companies are more than happy to assist you in your daily cleaning tasks. Hiring part-time cleaners help in reducing the amount of time it takes you to do your daily chores, and at a lower cost than that of a full-time maid.
Depending on where you are, find a reputable cleaning company with friendly and knowledgeable cleaners that you can trust. Work with your part-time maid in which cleaning tasks they can assist you with. In Singapore, Luce Home is our top pick because of the quality of training they provide to their trusted cleaners.
Check out their services here: http://lucehome.sg/services/part-time-maid
4. Keep a strict barrier between work and social life.
Busy with your kids or tending to your beloved pet? How about your side business and passion project? Regardless, you don’t need a reason to put up a wall between your work life and your social life. Gone are the days when staying late in the office is a sign of perseverance and hard work. People nowadays understand that everyone needs time to dissociate from work.
Set a schedule for yourself, and avoid checking on non-urgent work emails as you spend time with your pets, your kids, or with anything else you’d rather be doing. Your hours off are set for you to do the things you need to do outside of work, and you don’t need to justify yourself for setting up a barrier.
5. Sleep well, eat right.
You may be careful in your latest work project, but if you’re not careful with your health, you could crash. Even when work is stressful, you need to sleep a full 8 hours daily and eat a balanced meal to keep your body going. Tailor your meals to how much energy you use during the day, and eat more leafy greens than carbs or meat to keep your fuel up.
Alternatively, you shouldn’t sacrifice sleep and food just to hang out with friends. Make sure to always listen to your body and what it’s telling you. Taking care of yourself is important in both your work and social life, so don’t skip a meal, and get a good night’s rest.
6. Jot down in a journal.
When your mind is cluttered with information, it’s difficult to sort them out mentally. Start journaling your thoughts and emotions to keep a record of your ideas. Journaling is trendy with crafts enthusiasts, as you can personalize and decorate your journal to fit your aesthetic.
But most importantly, jotting down your ideas in a journal creates a word bank that you can always get back to for reference. Sometimes the best ideas come to us outside of work, so jotting it down helps you to easily remember them at work. You’ll be more efficient, and you’ll find a new outlet to let out the stress.
7. Exercise regularly.
Of course, regular exercise helps in maintaining a healthy body, and keeping yourself healthy allows you to function at optimal capacity. You’ll be able to do more things than you thought you could, and you’ll have more energy to go about your day – work and socials both!
Find the exercise that works for you. Yoga is great for balancing some people, while others may prefer active sports like dancing or basketball. Exercising keeps your mind alert as you recenter your focus.
