Is Achieving Work-Life Balance Possible?

What does work-life balance really mean? On the surface, it seems like your life will be balanced if you’re able to allot similar amounts of time — and more importantly, energy — to all aspects of your life.

It’s important to note that every individual is different: One person may feel as though they are dedicating a good amount of time to both parts of their life, but for another, having a similar schedule could be overwhelming. As long as you are fulfilling your obligations in both your personal life and your professional life, though, you can consider yourself to have found the balance that’s right for you. If you feel like you’re being stretched too thin, it may be time to reconsider your priorities.

These quick reminders and resources will help you regain control of your life:

You don’t have to be a perfectionist.

Perfectionism is a habit that’s easy to maintain when you’re juggling things like school and your social life, but when you have a full time job and a family or friends to keep up with, it can be a recipe for disaster. If you focus on completing every task perfectly, you’ll likely waste precious time caught tangled in a web of things don’t matter. Remember, accuracy and presentation are important, but there’s a difference between getting the job done and spending an unnecessary amount of time caught up in trivial tasks.

Unplug — enjoy your evenings, weekends, and vacations.

Life’s already too short as it is — put your phone down! Turn off notifications and keep telling yourself that you don’t need to reply to messages and emails as they come. Spend more time, instead, enjoying the opportunities and people around you. You’ll also find that if you start leaving work at work and not bringing it home with you, you’ll feel more excited when it’s time to be social, and more productive when you’re at work.

Just say no.

Without a doubt, when there’s an opportunity knocking at your door, you want to accept it to see where it will take you. But do you ever consider if that opportunity actually aligns with your goals? Could it be something that will prevent you from spending time with the people you love, or even take away the chance to work on a project that is more related to your career goals? Everyone always talks about saying yes, but if you analyze opportunities from the perspective of someone trying to manage their time efficiently, saying yes might not always be what’s best.

If you feel like you’re struggling to understand what the right work-life balance will look like for you, here are some TED Talks you may find helpful and motivating:

• How to make work-life balance work
• What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness
• How to gain control of your free time

What are some techniques you use to create a work-life balance? Let us know in the comments!