On your journey toward maintaining a work-life balance as an executive, living purposefully with a thought-out plan is the best way to reach that goal.
What Is Work-Life Balance?
Work-life balance is the art of finding the happy medium between your career and your personal life. It’s getting to the point of feeling successful at your job without burning yourself out, all while also feeling successful or fulfilled in your personal life.
Are You Off Balance?
To reach a point of feeling balanced, we need to first see what areas need some tweaking. Jot down what you do each day, including the weekends. Look for unimportant tasks you can eliminate, then prioritize what matters most.
And remember, time with family and friends may not be a set a task, but it definitely ranks high on the priority list. Of course, if something needs to give so your personal life can become healthier, then something has to give.
Schedule Everything
The word “schedule” stresses some people out. Images of a rigid day with no flexibility scare those of us who like to fly by the seat of our pants. Here’s the thing—your schedule is yours, and you can design it however you like.
The point of a schedule is to make sure those priorities which are easily put on the backburner no longer get put on hold.
Romance
Yes, your love life is important enough to prioritize and schedule. Dating as a busy executive requires some unique strategies, due to your busy schedule and the hustle of your career. Dating, let alone love, won’t happen unless you create a time slot for it.
Friendship
The same goes for friendship. You don’t want to wake up one day and realize you’re a successful businessperson with no friends to enjoy your success with. Make time for friends and maintain a social life outside of work.
Self-Care
Self-care isn’t a trend—it’s a necessity. How often do we put ourselves last, especially to make an impression at work? That monthly massage you have scheduled is important and nothing should trump it.
Whatever rejuvenates and relaxes you, schedule it. Self-care includes fitness as well, so make sure you are moving every day, no matter what type of exercise you enjoy. Scheduling these things leads to better health, and that’s the most important reason to maintain a work-life balance as an executive.
Simplify
In order to gain some balance in life, keep the word “simplify” at the top of your mind. Physical and mental clutter take up unnecessary space in our lives. You’d be surprised how cleaning out the storage room or bedroom closet and keeping only the necessities will relieve a bit of stress.
Somehow, without us realizing it, clutter throws us off balance because we constantly deal with it. Spend a weekend decluttering and ditching what no longer serves you, so you no longer have to think about it.
Simplify your mental clutter by creating hours in the day when technology is powered off. Is scrolling through social media helping you sleep? Probably not.
Instead, read a book or sit on the deck with an evening cocktail and enjoy the stars. Start simplifying your thoughts this way and feel a refreshing peace.
Balance isn’t out of reach, but it does take effort. Use these tips to help you navigate work-life balance as an executive.