Balance in life brings happiness.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are one of the most talked about couples especially with their newborn Blue Ivy recently coming into the world. With so many celebrities now settling down and choosing to have families, something positive must be able to come from this, even for a busy professional.
Although we often see ourselves as different from celebrities, there isn’t much of a difference except maybe the spotlight and the income (for some). The truth is that although celebrities are in the spotlight, they are still only human and this should be encouraging. If they can balance a career and a family, you should be able to as well!
Many times the trials of life can really put a damper on things. Sometimes we dread the thought of going to work; maybe the thought of not having enough time for you becomes overwhelming. For some, the thought of not being able to spend enough time with their children is hard to deal with. Let's face it, time pressures are demanding.
The saying "there are not enough hours in day" can often unfortunately prove to be true, but the good news is that a balance can be found. Think about Beyoncé and Jay-Z. They are traveling around the world and going on tour, but at the same time raising their children. You may have wondered just how those celebrities juggle all of that at once. While we might just assume that celebrities have supportive family and friends, friends and family need a break too.
So from a life coaching perspective what must be done in order to find balance between personal life and professional life? Here are just three simple things that can help create better work/life balance.
1. TIME MANAGEMENT
While this point may seem obvious, usually what is most obvious is the least simple to do. To master time management, you have to be able to figure out how to spend your time wisely. You have to figure out what is in your life that is taking up too much time.
Of course work may not be something that you can cut back on but maybe you can take a vacation. Plan time ahead for a vacation with family or friends.
Time management is about realizing what you can do more of and what you can do less of. Really there is a lot that can be cut back on in order to manage time. Change is good and sometimes the rearrangement of your daily routines can make a huge difference.
Maybe a mother comes home and the first thing that she does is tend to her a children, but then she forgets to do anything else so she just falls asleep. Instead, when mom first comes home, she could spend 30 minutes for herself. It is really about having something to look forward to.
People who feel like they do not have time to do anything just really feel like they do not have anything to look forward to, because they are always busy and their schedule is always the same.
2. PUT YOURSELF FIRST
Yes, it sounds selfish and depending on how it is done, it could very well be selfish—but it is necessary. You cannot take care of anybody else if you do not take care of yourself first; it’s just that simple.
Most times when you are playing the roles of daily life—mother, wife, daughter, father, husband, son, employee, employer—you spend the bulk of your time focusing on others’ needs without even realizing it. Time allotted for you must be done every day, even if it is just 30 minutes to an hour.
The reasons that people come up with for not having time for them are merely excuses. It is in their mindset. You have to program your mind into knowing and believing that you CAN have time for yourself.
3. LEAVE WORK AT WORK, DO NOT BRING IT HOME
A lot of the time it is not even that you physically bring your work home with you but that you carry your work emotionally. Sometimes the stress carries over to when you get home and you cannot let it go.
It is OK to vent but after the venting process is over, it is important to let it go. When you stress or are not happy, then the people who you are around become stressed or unhappy as well.
When you come home and are still focused on the issues at work then you are more focused on the problem. Instead of conquering the problem, the problem is conquering you.
Finding a balance between your personal and professional life is very important. For most people, it is that they spend too much time at work or they feel like they are in the house too much. Balancing can help you figure out what needs to be cut on or cut down. It is true that sometimes you just take on too much. Realize that you cannot do everything yourself and you cannot please everyone. If this article has been helpful to you, feel free to comment and let us know.
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