Work-Life Balance - A fantasy in a real world?
One often tries to wonder if work-life balance actually does exist in today's date, in the corporate world. Work-life balance intends to focus on fulfilling commitments both at work and with family. At the same time, it gives an individual time to fulfil cultural activities in a non-working space. Its true essence lies in making an individual happy, even while being occupied with work and corporate affairs.
In a 2001 study by Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut, 90% of working adults said they are concerned they do not spend enough time with their families.
Let's face the truth, we all struggle to make it to a family meal, a get together with long lost friends, or catch a cricket match on a weekday night. We are occupied all day with meetings, conference calls and we all have targets to meet at work which forces us to carry work back home. An individual is often weighed down by responsibilities from both family and work.
How does one achieve Work-Life Balance? What does one do with that time?
There aren’t any set rules as to how an individual can achieve a work-life balance, although the below five steps could just about help you prioritize and work towards achieving a work-life balance:
Manage your time well
It’s believed that “Nobody is too busy, it’s just a matter of priorities.” Managing time effectively is essential, not just at work but to make sure you’ve left enough time to cater to other stuff outside of work. It’s good to plan your day in advance, if your friend texts you in the middle of work to check if you’re in for dinner – you can willingly text back ‘YES’. Excellent time management results in all positive outcomes.
Utilize the flexible working hours effectively
There’s a reason your organisation grants you flexible working hours – it’s not to carry the work back home, that’s what most of us end up doing.
If you’re working the first shift, plan your day, get home on time and have dinner with your family. On any other day, you’re working on a last shift, catch your favorite movie that you’ve been yearning to watch since a while – morning shows at the cinema are light on the pocket too.
Take up a Hobby/Sport
How long has it been since you hit the football ground? Or were reluctant to participate in the annual cricket tournament that happens at your regular club? Hasn't it been ages since you went swimming with your neighborhood friends or made it to those Sunday morning walks?
It maybe difficult to slot out time during weekdays to play a sport – but that’s why we have weekends! Go out and play your favorite sport. If you love cooking and haven’t done that in a while, look up some recipe’s and put together a new dish. Enrol yourself in a library and pick your favorite book. To attain peace of mind, you can also try yoga sessions. Your idea of taking up a hobby and sport will keep you active and energize you to embrace struggles that comes along with work.
Socialize
Too many WhatsApp messages that you’ve ignored for months, because you can’t find time to meet with your friends? – We all face this!
Get in early to work one day and let the reunion plan materialize. Catching up with old friends could help you relieve stress from the current day. In addition to that, we all need a shoulder to cry on, don’t we? Whine together, share some laughter, go home less tired and weary!
Take a vacation
Planning that vacation for months, yet difficult to execute? Work can bog you down. It can also make you procrastinate your family vacation. That’s where you prioritize. If you’ve put your work ahead of your family, it’s time you pause and do it the other way around. Every organisation grants an individual a good amount of paid leave. Utilize that, take a vacation with your family – You will return to work happier than before!
Organizations worldwide have realized the significance of work-life balance and are coming up with new ideas to keep employees happy. They’ve introduced concepts like – ‘Bring your kids to work-day’, Launched a gym and arranged for yoga/Zumba classes at work, work after parties, where you interact with people from other departments at the organisation, and off-site visits.
Work-Life balance is no more just a fantasy, it does exist in the real world. It takes some effort, but it’s all worthwhile when one realizes that doing a job is a part of life, there are other aspects to life that can keep an individual happy.
“Never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.” - Dolly Parton
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