How to Achieve Harmony Between Work and Personal Life

Damon Williamson

Copywriter

August 3, 2021

9 min read

It can be hard to relax when everyone around you is constantly doing something. Social media is filled with posts about multitasking 24/7, but is it really necessary? Are there any consequences of over-productivity? How to restore the balance between work and private life?

In modern society, productivity becomes an end in itself. “Be effective!”, “Work to the maximum!”. Such phrases may sound motivating, but in reality, it entails burnout, overwork and a feeling of powerlessness. All of these beliefs make rest a shame. If you are tired, it does not mean that you have given up. This means it’s time to take care of yourself.

Alas, we do not have indicators, like on our smartphones, that would show the charge level of our internal batteries. We often don’t notice the first signs of fatigue. Allow yourself to take breaks and rest without waiting for your internal battery to run out completely.

How to Leave Work at Work

Nowadays problems with the distribution of time depend on the degree of concentration. When a person faces many tasks, there is a fear of not having enough time to do everything. This fear usually makes it difficult to focus on work. While you are doing one job, you worry about another one at the same time. In such a state, it is difficult to complete everything quickly and efficiently. Try a couple of the following tips to increase your concentration and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

1. Delegate and Simplify

It is important to remember that all tasks in the world cannot be done by one person — some will have to be entrusted to others. Nobody can do too many things at once and meet all expectations, including their own. Perfection kills. Focus on the essential. And start delegating! What tasks could others take on? What commitments can be cancelled from the agenda? Saying no is not a crime. It is an element that contributes to good self-management. Everything should be revised and simplified wherever possible. It is best to leave only a part of the work that no one else can do as well as you.

2. Make a To-Do List and Avoid Multitasking

Do you often feel overwhelmed with too many tasks and deadlines? Make a to-do list. It will help you organize your tasks and prioritize them. Check out Flowlu GTD-based task tracker designed in such a way that no task will ever be missed out.

Set realistic daily goals and set intermediate goals for more demanding tasks. Carry out the hardest tasks first, you will feel lighter. Don’t forget to consider your personal “performance curve” as well: when are you most productive? Complete one task at a time, setting a time limit for each of them. Avoid multitasking. It just disturbs your concentration and makes you nervous.

3. Draw a Clear Line Between Your Personal and Work Time

Set clear expectations with your teammates about how late in the day you’ll respond to their messages when you are available for work discussions and any other interaction that has an effect on your work-life balance. Time spent in relaxation is time spent with benefit.

Of course, technologies and social networks make our work faster and our life more convenient, but they create the feeling that you are constantly available. It can be exhausting and leave a feeling of insecurity — like being under a microscope. That’s why it is helpful to put in place a communication plan for your coworkers.

4. Take Advantage of Business Management Software

There’re various business management software solutions, designed for productive work. The main task of business management tools is to facilitate and automate work processes in small, medium or large businesses. It’s a good way to improve efficiency as it allows you to have everything in one single place. Instead of switching between different apps and trying to grasp the big picture from scattered data, you can quickly get a 360-degree overview of your tasks.

Flowlu is a great example of such business management software. It’s a cloud-based solution to help you run your entire business from leads and tasks to financial planning and complex project management. Allocate tasks, manage expenses and organize teamwork. Flowlu will help you to stay productive and make the most of your time.

5. Do Not Skip Breaks

Press the “pause” key regularly, even literally. Taking a break and getting a breath of fresh air also regenerates ideas! Also, take a break for meals. Do not read posts on social media during lunch and consume your food without staying at the workplace. Equally useful are small relaxation exercises. Meditate, train mindful attention with MBSR, practice progressive muscle relaxation, take breathing breaks – choose the relaxation method you prefer.

6. Rely on Your Team Capabilities

Don’t forget about the power of teamwork. Thanks to the efforts of several people united by one common goal, much more can be achieved in a short amount of time. No time to complete the assignment, but still do not want to delegate it?

Rely on your coworkers in helping you to finish the task. Teamwork is the key to success! It’s a good way to become more productive and less stressed than working alone.

7. Give Up Perfectionism

Sometimes it’s not some urgent task that keeps us thinking about work, but regrets about what could have been done better in the past. As life goes on, we have more and more responsibilities — and the more difficult it is to adhere to the principles of perfectionism. The habit of doing everything perfectly at some point can become destructive. Marilyn Puder-York, PhD, an executive coach who wrote The Office Survival Guide gives a simple tip for avoiding burnout – let go of perfectionism.

That does not mean that you can afford to do poor-quality work, you should not constantly regret that you could have done some tasks even better. If you make a mistake, don’t stress out! Analyze and determine how to avoid it next time.

8. Don’t Let Social Media Distract You

Deliberately limiting the amount of time spent on social media has a very positive effect on productivity and clarity of mind. It should be minimized as much as possible, and even better — to provide for these special hours in the schedule.

Social networks have an especially negative impact when there is a constant switch between the working process and thoughtless scrolling of the feed. Often such distractions occur unconsciously: as soon as you think about it or are idle for a minute, your hand is already reaching out to open Instagram or Facebook. Such urges should be nipped in the bud, for example by limiting the use of applications during working hours.

Conclusion

Getting a better work-life balance is one of the essential steps towards building a successful career. Indeed, without timely rest and harmony in personal life, professional growth is impossible. This balance is not easy to achieve, but it can be done if you set your schedule correctly and adhere to the above-mentioned techniques and strategies. Learn to set boundaries, prioritize and delegate. In this way, you can release stress and anxiety, avoid juggling family and work, and make the most of your free time.