Today, I want to share a quote from the Stoic Seneca. “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.” I don’t mean to get too philosophical or have you reflect on your mortality this morning so let’s reflect on how we can optimize our time to enhance our professional and personal lives.
This quote screams work-life balance to me. Allow me to share a few things that have helped me to maintain what I believe to be a good work-life balance.
Have a to-do list and learn to prioritize
During my busiest times I utilize my notes app to create a checklist of everything I need to accomplish in a day. It’s filled with work and personal tasks. It also begins with things I work to do every day like walk the dog, practice German, meditate for 3 minutes, and exercise. Why put things I do every day on there? Because I’m forced to check the box, maintain the habit, and experience small wins every day. These also happen to be things I know I enjoy, make me healthier, and happier. I try to sit down each evening or the first thing every morning and build this list out for the day. I also categorize things as ‘nice to do’ and ‘must do’ based on the rhythm of the day. Task prioritization ensures you complete the most important things. It doesn’t necessarily ensure you will have enough time to complete all the tasks on your list. It’s okay to have things be pushed to the next day. Reassess and prioritize those misses the next day. Understand that to-do list is never going away either.
Don’t take work home you don’t have to
Do everything in your power to optimize what you are doing when you are in the office. Effectively plan your day and manage the schedule so you know when you’ll be most productive. Take any available moments to document and keep those daily tasks at a manageable level. Don’t get me wrong, there are days that sometimes go off the rails and I have to take some documentation home. But I have a rule of 20 minutes. If I ever have to take work home I don’t work on it for more than 20 minutes.
Set boundaries, and keep them.
The 20 minute rule is a boundary I’ve set for myself. It keeps me honest at work so that I can have my personal time when outside of work. Similarly, utilize features that allow you to snooze notifications or set out of offices so you aren’t bombarded by work tasks when you’re on your own time. If you have trouble adhering to your boundaries, have conversations with your coworkers so they can help to keep you accountable. This is as simple as letting them know what you’re doing and what the plan should be. “Hey, tomorrow I’ll be doing ____. I won’t be answering any messages. Can you schedule any messages for ____ day? If it’s urgent, speak to ____.”
Plan your fun
Interpret ‘fun’ as you see fit. For me this can be exercise, family time, vacations, or watching Alabama football. What your fun is is specific to you. Spend time to reflect and understand what this means to you. Ideally you’ll end up finding things that leave you refreshed and ready to be the best version of yourself. Regardless, planning it is a conscious task that ensures you can organize your schedule to prioritize it.
Here’s a pic from our recent family trip to Scotland. We took advantage of a work trip for Katie to explore a new place and have some family time.
Finding balance is a challenging task. The reality is that it’s a life skill that takes time to develop. You also need to consistently work to maintain it. There will always be busy periods and down periods. Be fluid in how you operate and stick to your principles to guide you. Ultimately, success comes by optimizing the time you spend at work so that you can maximize your enjoyment and fulfillment in your personal life.
