Do you feel like you need a recharge? Your work/life balance could be to blame. Check out these tips for resetting the balance so you can enjoy fulfilment.
Where are you at in your career? Do you fit into one of the following categories?
- You’re out of work and having trouble finding a job.
- You’re bored and unfulfilled at your current job.
- You find the people you work with, your work environment, or even your living environment to be a source of stress.
- You’re having trouble fulfilling all your responsibilities.
If any of the above describes your current circumstances, rest assured that there is good news. You can reset your career and life balance this year. The following suggestions can show you how.
Manage Job Search Stress
If you’ve applied to many jobs but are yet to be hired, you may be asking yourself, “Why is my resume getting rejected?” Extended job searches can be stressful, but there are things you can do to ease and even learn from the experience.
Acknowledge your emotions, and allow yourself to process them. Anger, fear, shame, and regret are common feelings when you don’t get the job you wanted.
On the other hand, don’t take the rejection too personally. The hiring manager was not evaluating your value as a person; they were evaluating your fit for the position. Use the experience as a tool for growth—look for areas where you can improve your skills or gain new ones to better fit a similar position. You can even ask the hiring manager for constructive feedback on why you weren’t chosen.
Finally, don’t give up. Keep applying. Perhaps extend your job search to roles you hadn’t considered before. In the meantime, take care of yourself. Eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and do things that make you happy.
Make A Change
Sometimes maintaining a healthy work/life balance requires a change of pace. Consider whether you should consider adjusting where you work, live, or the schedule you keep.
Where You Work
Toxic work environments or companies whose values are widely different from your own could leave you feeling drained or frustrated at the end of the day. Depending on your circumstances, you may request a transfer to another department or business location, or you might decide to put in your application with other employers.
Where You Live
Does your home make you feel at peace, or does it cause you stress? Depending on the cause, you may find value in one of these solutions:
- If you’re having trouble covering housing expenses, consider downsizing to a smaller abode.
- If clutter or disrepair cause stress, resolve to improve one small part of your home—clean out the closet or paint the room, for instance. Then, set another small goal.
- If external factors such as a long commute, extreme weather, or increasing crime cause anxiety, consider relocating.
A Flexible Schedule
Sometimes the 9 to 5 is impossible to balance with other responsibilities. This can especially be the case if you are dealing with health issues, a sick family member, or raising children.
Talk to your boss about adjusting your schedule to better fit your personal responsibilities. For example, you may be able to go in an hour later and work an hour later so you can drop the kids off at school in the morning.
Remote or hybrid schedules have benefited a lot of people. Forbes reports that “fully remote workers experienced higher meaningfulness, self-actualization, happiness, and commitment than in-person workers.” If working from home would help you balance your career and the care of your newborn or aging parent, have a frank but respectful conversation with your boss on the matter.
Do More With Your Time
We all have only 24 hours in a day, but how we use that time can profoundly affect our quality of life and productivity at work. Keep a calendar of deadlines, appointments, and benchmarks. Make a prioritized list of tasks for each day. Tackle the most vital tasks first, and avoid spending excessive time on less important tasks (like checking emails).
There are also a number of tech tools and apps designed to help this balance. You can use a Pomodoro timer to help you stay focused, or a fitness tracker to help you remember to get out of your chair at least once an hour. You may be able to automate certain tasks with AI-powered tools.
Better Your Health
Improving your health is one of the most important methods of resetting your career/life balance this year. Whether you are relatively healthy or face challenges, small changes can make a difference. You don’t have to go vegan, run a marathon, or lose 100 pounds. But modest increases in exercise, weight loss, and nutrition will leave you with more energy to tackle your work and enjoy your time off.
Conclusion
When you learn how to manage your stress, control your environment to the extent possible, use your time wisely, and improve your health, you are on your way to being your best self in 2024. Set, small, achievable goals, and watch the benefits roll in.
Guest writer.
