10 Tips To WLB

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.” ~ Brian Tracy

There is no perfect answer to the key question of  how to achieve life/work balance in our lives, but there are a number of ideas and actions that can help you to do more in the areas that are important to you. These ideas often require changes and modifications in the way you think and use your time, but the price is well worth it and will give you more peace of mind.

First, you must plan ahead. You must be organized and prepared.

How To Achieve Life Balance:

1. Know Yourself.. means knowing what you really value, knowing what is really important to you.  The challenge here is to organize your life to assure that everything that you are  doing is consistent with your true values. It is critical for you to organize your life around yourself, rather than to organize yourself around the demands of your outside world.
2. Time Management.. after you have determined your values and the goals that are congruent with those values, you must set your priorities. Make a list of all the tasks that you can possibly do and then select from that list the things that are most important to you. You must also be able to decide which tasks you are going to stop doing so that you will have enough time to start doing the more important tasks. Manage your time wisely.
3. Use Your Time Wisely.. Most people are time wasters.  They waste their own time, and they waste your time as well.  To be successful and happy, you must discipline yourself to work all the time you work. If you are at the work place, I’m sure you have experienced a co-worker who will come by and want to chat.. you simply smile at them and say, “Could we talk about this later?”  Tell them that you have to get back to work. Don’t allow yourself to waste your valuable time or you will be rushing in order to complete the necessary tasks and this will just add stress to the work day. Learn the value of  saying “No”
4. Have a Plan.. By having a plan, you can follow your progress and decide whether you are achieving your desired goals. Without a plan, you will just end up busy and exhausted. Some things that you may want to consider are the following:
   create deadlines for projects, focus on tasks that follow your plan and help you get closer to your ultimate goal.
5. Build solid relationships.. Have you created business and personal relationships? Your interaction with family and friends will replenish your personal happiness and energy. Protect these relationships, as they are very valuable and irreplaceable assets.
6. Rest and Relaxation.. It is important that you get enough rest and relaxation to give your body time to repair itself and give your mind time to re-focus and unwind. This is a part of achieving life balance. This is your opportunity to have some quality “Me Time” .. Take time out of your day and do something for YOU! It could be a favorite hobby, reading a good book, listening to music, etc.
7. Get Enough Sleep.. We all know that if we don’t get enough sleep, we get grouchy and irritable and perhaps don’t perform as well the next day. But, a good night’s sleep allows our body time to repair and time to maintain our muscles and vital organs. Plus,chemicals vital to the immune system are released when we sleep, so sleep is important for maintaining our immune systems and general health. It also gives our brain a break and allows it to re-focus itself.
8. Regular Exercise Routine.. Exercising is a must for busy executives and entrepreneurs. Repetitive exercises tend to be the best to help de-stress, such as using a treadmill or eliptical machine. Exercise tires your body giving it the signal to go to sleep to repair itself. But don’t exercise immediately before going to bed as your metabolism will still be pumping. Leave at least 2 hours between exercise and bedtime. There are many other relaxation techniques such as meditation, visualisation, progressive muscle relaxation and self-hypnosis that can help get you off to sleep if the above techniques don’t work.
9. Reward Yourself.. After challenging yourself to focus on your work-life balance, don’t forget to reward yourself for making an effort to change. Give yourself a treat and you will feel proud every time you look over at your reward and be motivated to keep your new healthy habits.
10. Revisit Your Plan On A Regular Basis.. Make sure to check your plan often to make sure you are working smart and on the right path. Plans are a guide and are not carved in stone. What works for you today may not work for you next year. Change offers amazing opportunities to grow and you must be ready for the challenge.

Being able to achieve life/work balance will help you get more out of life. Take a pro-active approach to making life choices that you can be proud of.