Work/Life balance may be the most elusive phrase yet in the professional realm. Companies market their encouragement of work/life balance, people seek out jobs to find it, but does anyone really know how exactly to embody this so called… balance of your professional and personal life?
On top of that, how’s it possible to achieve balance when your ‘to-do list’ only keeps growing? It’s likely that when you find yourself in the grind of life - you know you should come back into balance, but how’s that even possible without dropping some of the balls you’re juggling?
I know, it’s overwhelming. I’ve been there too. But now - as a Job Reset Coach – work/life balance is one of my favorite topics to support people with. And it’s not something that has to feel elusive anymore.
Let’s dive into 7 tips to help you, as a super busy person, start enjoying a little of that balance you keep hearing about.
1. Don’t Aim for Perfect Work/Life Balance
There’s no such thing as perfect balance. As humans, we’re complex. We have a ton going on all at once, between our work, families, friends, pets, community, commitments. To establish perfect equilibrium is not only impossible – it will make you crazy trying. We’ll talk more about this in a bit, but your balance will ebb and flow. And it will always be perfectly imperfect – just like nature. Everything in nature seeks balance, but that doesn’t mean it looks exactly the same minute to minute, day to day. The more you can lean into having grace with the imperfection – the better off you’ll be.
2. Be Flexible. Your Work/Life Balance Will Shift Over Time
Just as you change and grow in your career and personal life, so will your areas of focus in work & life. There are always going to be times where one area of your life is taking up more of the pie than others. If you’re taking care of a sick family member, if you’re a new parent, if your department loses a key person during a launch, if you have a huge project and deadline to hit, if you’re going through a divorce… your balance will shift. You may see spikes in one area that persist for a few weeks, months, or sometimes years. Trust that you know where your focus needs to be. But watch out if you start to notice an imbalance of a certain area for more than a month or two. This is when it can start to become detrimental over time.
3. Take Ownership of Your Balance
This is an unpopular truth… BUT…you are the one who’s responsible for your work/life balance. It’s not your boss, your company, your partner or your kids. Sure, these people may have an impact on your balance, but only you can know what your specific focus needs to look and feel like. Once you shift from hoping someone else will fix your work/life balance to taking ownership of it - your life will shift immensely.
4. You Need to Know What’s Out of Balance
You can’t help what you can’t see. You may feel off and overwhelmed, but do you know what you need to get back into harmony? Often times when we’re overwhelmed at work, we think we are overworked, but it sometimes is that you aren’t challenged enough… you don’t have enough joy in your life outside of work… or you aren’t able to shut off your work brain. Figure out what exactly is draining your energy.
5. Set Boundaries
Once you know what you need, you need to put some boundaries into place. What are your non-negotiables? Say your health is a non-negotiable. You start to notice your health suffering and you make a commitment to make a homemade dinner twice a week. What are the boundaries you need to put in place to honor that?
Pro tip: When it comes to boundaries - tap into this shift of perspective. Boundaries around your work/life balance are set to HELP YOU (not a punishment). When you can see boundaries as protecting the areas most important to you, it will be easier to enforce them.
6. Invest in Support
Of course I had to put something in here about coaching! Especially as I focus on helping people with their work/life balance and finding happiness in their careers & lives. When we’re successful, driven people – we can be hesitant to reach out for support. We think we can do it on our own… as we always have. I’d say, if you’ve been struggling with your work/life balance for more than a few months consistently – it’s time to invest in some support. You’ll be blown away by how far it will carry you.
Curious what support could look like for you? Book a Coaching Discovery Call
7. Focus on Micro-Actions
As a Coach, I see a pattern throughout all humans. We get super excited and inspired to make a change in the beginning. With that excitement, we can over-commit to the things we want to do and that quickly becomes overwhelming. So, I see a ton of people with the best of intentions come out of the gate strong and then fall off almost immediately.
Side note: this is why working with a coach is massively successful for people who want to make lasting change.
To get ahead of this challenge, the thing you want to focus on is micro-action. Let’s break this down.
When it comes to your work/life balance – what are the areas where you are out of balance?
And what is one micro-action you can take to help balance that area out a bit?
I’ll give you an example. Say I’ve been feeling like my family balance has been lacking. One micro-action I may choose to take is to call my mom once a week to catch up with her.
Micro-actions should be so small they almost seem insignificant. But don’t assume micro-actions are insignificant. It’s quite the opposite actually.
So, there you have it. 7 incredible tips to help you find a little more balance between your work and your home life. I’d love to hear below what micro-action you’re committing to this week?
Author: Taylor Short
Taylor Short is the CEO of Harmonious Return and author of Reset Your Relationship to Your Job. As a Job Reset Coach she helps working women move from feeling exhausted and overwhelmed to energized and fulfilled, without leaving their job. Want to chat about how her work could help you? Schedule a Discovery Call here.