Work-Life Balance has to do with balancing work and family responsibilities. It can be difficult to not bring home the stress of an uncompleted project to your loved ones. However, it’s important to find peace during the rough times. Below are 5 tips from Jen Uscher for better Work-Life balance. I, personally, have a hard time finding a work-life balance and often feel slightly worn out. However, these tips gave me a glimpse of how to improve my own work-life balance!
1. Build downtime into your schedule: It’s all about scheduling. Whenever you want to have a girls’ night out, make it a priority to schedule that in about a month. If you need to put in a few extra hours of work, make that note on the calendar. Don’t ever have an open Sunday afternoon; instead make sure to put in some family fun activities such as going to the zoo, park, or even church. I have a white board in my apartment and make sure to plan fun activities for the weekend with my boyfriend. Next weekend we are planning on seeing Inside Out!
2. Drop activities that sap your time or energy: Remember that when you are at work, you are there! Don’t spend too much time on personal tasks and make sure to get the work done; you may even be able to leave work early. After a long day of interning with Bulldog, I’ll take a moment to sit on the floor and give my dog, Cubby, and cat Tinsel a good pat and hug.
3. Rethink your errands: Be cognizant of how many errands you are doing that can be replaced by someone else. For example, why not have the student down the street mow the lawn? Possibly ask friends to wrap your gifts in exchange for a home cooked meal? Since I enjoy cooking, I ask my boyfriend to clean the cat’s litter box in exchange for a great meal!
4. Get moving: Exercise is pertinent for a long workday. Even if you have to wake up a little earlier than normal, make sure to fit it in—most people state they feel so much better and think more clearly at work when they get a chance to fit in a walk or jog. I enjoy working out right after work, not only does it helps me sleep better, but I am more alert the next working day.
5. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way: Little things, such as bringing your headphones to listen to music or getting a coffee can really help bring that inner happiness you may have been missing. My favorite thing to do is get the limited edition flavored coffee at Dunkin Donuts—right now it’s the Oreo-iced coffee –delicious by the way!
Love,