Creating a balance between your work life and your home life can be difficult to manage. Then, on top of that you need to have time to yourself. Personally, I want to establish a career as a writer one day and I need to allow for time to write while still working 30 hours a week to make and save money. There will be times where you may have to work an “in the moment” job, which may be something that you don’t completely love, or something that isn’t in line with your long-term goals. If you find yourself in this position, it’s important to focus on prioritising your time so you’re still keeping your long-term goals in mind.
The steps you are taking, whether presently or in the future, need to be steps taken toward your goals, not away from them.
What you want for yourself 5 years from now or 15 years from now, is just as important as what you want for yourself this week. Managing your goals and your time wisely can ease a plethora of burdens in your day-to-day existence. Regardless of whether you’re simply working to pay the bills or if you’re beginning a job that will become your lifelong career, try to create a schedule that allows for the time you spend at work to be the time you spend at work – with no crossover. Make sure the time you spend doing things for yourself is totally separate. This will be the key to your happiness – and ultimately, to your success.
I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to ensure that I have peace of mind while handling this delicate process is to really, really enjoy the job that I currently have while working toward my other goals. If you’re working at a job simply to make money and head out the door, you’re likely to find it increasingly difficult. Motivating yourself and performing your duties well could be a struggle, and no-one wants to feel like they’re wasting their time every day while they wait for better things to happen.
Find a job that you enjoy working – one that makes you want to get up and go to work every day.
I love the people that I work with and the job that I do, so I don’t mind being there for 8-9 hours per day. It doesn’t feel like as much of a sacrifice because I’m not miserable with the way I spend my work days. I’ve previously worked jobs where I’ve spent entire shifts dreaming about what else I could be doing instead of trudging through tasks that made me unhappy. The misery of working at a job I disliked impacted on my time spent away from work too. I didn’t feel as productive. I felt like I was stuck in a rut.
Once I realised that enjoying what I did for work was really important, I took the steps necessary towards securing a better opportunity – one that would motivate me and make me want to pursue my writing and continue to grow into the person that I wanted to become. I’ve noticed that my quality of work at this new position is far greater than it used to be because I want to do well – to impress my boss, and to lighten the load for those that I work with by doing my job properly.
Often I get lost thinking about what I want from the future and what it will take for me to accomplish my goals. If I stray down that path for too long, I soon forget to live in the moment. When I look back on my life 20 years from now, I’m more likely to regret the time I sacrificed being away from people I love and just working 45 hours a week instead.
While working hard and accomplishing your goals are important to success, remembering to really live that life matters just as much. It’s all about balance.
Go to that concert you’ve been dying to go to. Take a walk with your dog. Have coffee with your friends or family. Spend some time reading. Exercise. Learn a new language.
When you wake up on a day that you don’t have to work, think about how you want to spend that free time. If you finally get your laundry done or sprawl out on the sofa to watch that rom-com that you recorded months ago, you’ll feel like you’ve done something for yourself. In doing this, you’ll have spent time the way that you want to and that will create a stronger sense of balance.
Work hard, rest hard and enjoy every moment in between. Finding peace in your balanced routine will change your world for the better.
