Make time for life

How to achieve that perfect balance between work and play:

The majority of us want a balance between work and life, there is no doubt about it, but still there is a small percentage of us, the truly workaholics, who could not care less about getting any time for anything besides work.

Then there are some who are willing to give up some of their spare time in return for other benefits, such as a bit higher pay scale. Furthermore, then there are the millennials to whom nothing is more important than having a perfect balance between work and fun. They get unhappy a lot more than other groups do in the instance of being unable to achieve that balance.

Recently a study was conducted by Ernst & Young's Global Generation Research, which deduced that almost one-third of millennials are now finding it more difficult to manage their work, family and personal responsibilities as compared to give years ago.

Also, almost half of them have to spend more of their time at work in contrast with 38% of Generation X and just 28% of baby boom workers.

So basically, though millennials want to distribute their time evenly between work and other activities, they are being required to put in extra hours for the former.

Millennials are looking for flexibility at work more than are other generations yet it is them being looked up to for working more. Most millennials want it so bad that they are ready to give up portion of their salary, not have that promotion that a usual person would look forward to, or relocate if that would mean managing work-life demands better. What's more? All this was found through the same Ernst & Young survey.

So, you are from the millennials' generation and you are willing to work responsibly and put in all of your efforts in your job but in return you are also looking for enough time to carry out your personal responsibilities in full and spend time with friends and family.

That is a pretty fair demand. But are you getting that? Not necessarily, and that makes you frustrated and you eventually start hating your work.

Not being perfect is okay

You certainly do not want that. You have to work to support yourself and your family.

You have to pay your bills and the house rent; you have to bring food to the table three times a day; you have to have an emergency fund set up; you have to make monthly repayments for your loans if, during college, you were unable to avoid student debt; you have to save for retirement.

All this requires you to work and have a constant income so you cannot afford to give up your job.

However, what you can do is negotiate regarding a work-life balance. And it is not so difficult to achieve that.

Several of us have a perfectionist attitude to everything.

They want everything done to the very best and do not accept low quality work, whether from others or themselves. This works pretty well during school days when, usually, you do not really have a lot of responsibilities except for taking care of your homework and activities.

When you reach the employment phase this no longer is easy or ideal. Your responsibilities grow; you get a family and with time you get promoted at your workplace, which also means you become more accountable. At such a point perfectionism is something you may want to give up on. Otherwise, it is very likely that you end up burning out.

Unplug

"There are times when you should just shut your phone off and enjoy the moment," says Robert Brooks, a professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.

Brooks could not be more correct. Because of telecommuting and the advanced technology everything is now available on our fingertips. While this has definitely made life easier it has also brought up the issue of constant accessibility.

You need to realize when to use your smartphone, or any other technology for that matter. You should understand the importance of avoiding addressing personal matters at work and not working when out with a family. Do not just think that it is quality time you are spending with your family. It is not, till you are completely with them, body and mind.

Exercise

Do not say there is no time for exercising. I am sure you do not just stop eating or going to the bathroom just because of a lack of time. You manage to find time for that, right? Then you can make time for exercise as well and, anyway, exercise is no less important than eating.

It is a great way to reduce stress. It helps improve your mood basically because of the feel-good endorphins that are released during exercise. If you want to refresh your mind and body, exercise.

Avoid wasting time on unnecessary things

What do you consider the most important in your life? Make a list of your high priority activities and people and ensure that you are spending your time and energy on them. Avoid those activities and people that you feel waste your time, or put a limit on them.

Not only do they waste your time they also drain you while your time and energy could have been spent on something useful which would also make you feel good about yourself.

Restructure

Most of us have some sort of a routine. We get up, go to work, return, refresh and have dinner and sleep. Sometimes we squeeze in an outing or two in between. And on weekends it is time for taking care of other household jobs such as grocery shopping. We just keep doing the same thing every day and it gets monotonous.

Not only that, it is probably no longer as efficient as it used to be. Look into your routine. See what changes you can bring about to make your life easier and less stressful. For instance you could delegate work. You do not have to come back from a long day at work and prepare meals for everyone at home.

You can hire help for that. You are earning enough and are totally capable of dishing out some money for that purpose in return for some relaxation and me time. Do it. Change your work flow.

(This article was originally published in Goweloveit)