Finding Balance Between Work and Home Life
with These Tips

By Elliot Caleira

Managing your career with your family life requires a balancing act. If you want to increase productivity during the hours you work at the office so you can spend more time with your family, then you should take the following tips into consideration. Finding a balance between your work and home life can help you create a schedule that works for you. It'll lead to a better career and a happier family life.

Streamline Your Work Routine

A calendar or to-do list that's filled with too many tasks can make you feel as if you're stretched thin. If your work life is overlapping with your home life, it'll be hard to create a work-life balance. Find out ways that you can spend most of your days. Maybe you can take a drive in your Toyota Camry 2019 with your family once a week. Whenever possible, reduce or eliminate the number of work-related activities that suck your time and energy.

Ditch Your Multitasking Ways

Handling too many work-related tasks at the same time may make it seem like you're getting more work done, but it could end up backfiring. Multi-tasking can take up 40% of your energy and productivity. Focusing on a single task can help you recover up to 16 hours each week. Having that energy for spending time with friends and family can help you come up with an approach that allows you to work more efficiently.

Add Sleep Into Your Schedule

If trying to find a balance prevents you from getting enough rest, it could impact your work performance. Six out of 10 workers revealed that not getting enough sleep affects their motivation and productivity at work. It also leaves them with less energy for spending time with their families. Going to bed earlier a few nights a week can help reduce fatigue. If that's possible, block out time over the weekend to relax and sleep in a little.

Get a Reprieve from Your Office

Over half of the employees said they prefer to work at home, according to an employee happiness survey. If working remotely isn't an option, talk to your boss about working out of the office once a week. One day less spent outside the office will help reduce stress by the time you head back to your office. Plus, it allows you to spend more time with your family.

Establish Boundaries

One out of four Americans bring their work home with them, which cuts into time with friends and family. If you want to leave work at a certain time but you're still answering phone calls or responding to email messages, then you need to create a better work-life balance.

Establishing boundaries for answering calls, reading emails, or doing anything work-related can reduce pressure so you can focus on your family and the other things that you love to do. You shouldn't be spending your nights at work or focusing on anything work-related the moment you leave the office.

Stick to a Budget

Over half of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings accounts. When you don't have a savings account, you feel more pressure to make more money at work. This leads to making sacrifices, such as spending less time with family and friends. Setting a budget can help you feel more in control of your financial situation.

You should create a budget that determines what you earn and what you spend each month. The goal of your budget is to have enough left over that you have an emergency savings account in case something out of your control happens. You'll worry less about your financial problems and focus on spending time with your family.

While your career is important, it shouldn't take up your entire life. You were an individual with hobbies and interests before you accepted this position, and you should prioritize the activities and people that mean the world to you. Whether it's taking a walk or getting a massage, set aside an hour each week to do something special for yourself.

Don't forget about the people who mean a lot to you. You should focus on spending yourself with loved ones rather than making excuses to be at work all the time. Just because your job keeps you busy doesn't mean you should ignore your interpersonal relationships. This is more of a reason to spend more time with them.

Elliot Caleira is a freelance writer in the self-mastery and health and wellness spaces. When he's not writing you'll find him cooking or teaching Portuguese classes. More articles by Elliot.