Work/Life Balance: How to Keep Your Work at the Office

What has technology done to our equilibrium?! It seems you can never shut off work these days. One Harvard Business School study reported that “94% of working professionals reported working more than 50 hours per week and nearly half said they worked more than 65 hours per week” (Forbes).

With the pressure mounting to work around the clock, fill your life with amazing experiences, and make more money, balance is critical. Here are some favorite methods for keeping your planner organized and your boundaries clear.

Start by identifying your “pie-orities.”

Create a list of all the things that matter to you in your life.  This could include family, friends, health and wellness, your job, sleep, entertainment, etc.  Ok, do you have the list?

Now, if your life were a pie, with all these items in it, how big would each slice be?  Give each priority a percentage value.  Then, take that and put it into an actual pie. 

Do your sections look balanced? Or is one dominating the others?

Remember, there is only one pie. 

This activity is really helpful because it forces you to see where you are currently putting most of your energy and time. Is it into something you value? Are you getting a good return on the time you invest in the larger pie pieces?

If you aren’t, here are some ways to bring that balance back to your life.

1. Learn to Say No

I know what you’re thinking – it’s not as easy as it sounds. And you are correct. One way to help get over the hump without feeling bad about it, is to schedule things. Then when you say no, it’s because you actually have something else you have to do. Whatever it is, putting it in the calendar can help ensure you make time for it.

2. Take a tech break

Make a conscious effort to step away from devices and reclaim your productivity. You control the tech, so be intentional with your time.

3. Limit Your Work Hours

Spend a couple weeks tracking your time to see how much time you really need to get your work done. Once you have a good idea of that, commit to arriving and leaving the office on a more predictable schedule. This will help you really focus in during the time you do spend at work and allow you to leave the office feeling accomplished.

Want to more resources? Get ideas, inspiration, and motivation from some of the best work/life balance TED Talks.

Author Laura Vanderkam on “How to Gain Control of Your Free Time”
Time management expert Laura Vanderkam studies how busy people spend their lives, and she’s discovered that many of us drastically overestimate our commitments each week, while underestimating the time we have to ourselves. She offers a few practical strategies to help find more time for what matters to us, so we can “build the lives we want in the time we’ve got.”

Learning Expert Eduardo Briceño on “How To Get Better At The Things You Care About”

Working hard but not improving? You’re not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that’s work, parenting or creative hobbies. And he shares some useful techniques, so you can keep learning and always feel like you’re moving forward.

Author and Marketer Nigel Marsh on “How to Make Work Life Balance Work”

Work-life balance, says Nigel Marsh, is too important to be left in the hands of your employer. Marsh lays out an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time and productivity — and offers some stirring encouragement to make it happen.

Psychologist Adam Alter on “Why Our Screens Make Us Less Happy”

What are our screens and devices doing to us? Psychologist Adam Alter studies how much time screens steal from us and how they’re getting away with it. He shares why all those hours you spend staring at your smartphone, tablet or computer might be making you miserable — and what you can do about it.

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