It always feels like you never have enough time – and it’s usually your personal life which takes a back seat. Especially if you’re working in a busy, nonstop city like New York – throwing in generous commuting time, too – you may feel like all you ever do is work. If this is the case, you need to reevaluate your situation and do what you can to reclaim those precious personal moments.
If you’re trying to avoid tipping the scales, here are four surefire ways you can do so.
1. Make Time for a Hobby You Love
If you love your work, that’s great – you’re one of the lucky ones! That still doesn’t mean that your job should completely define your life. If you have other passions or interests, then making time for these can help you to separate your work life from your home life.
Think of a hobby you would like to try and start it around work. This could be something you can easily do from home, or maybe you could attend a class to socialize at the same time. Or, maybe you used to have a hobby you loved which you’ve let fall to neglect. Try and get back into it.
2. Find a Quick and Easy Way to Relax
Whether this is during the workday or when you arrive home from work, find a go-to you enjoy for switching off from the strains of the day. This could be checking out a LottoGo Review online, reading a magazine or watching YouTube videos – whatever takes your fancy!
3. Don’t Feel Guilty for Taking Time Off
While a good working environment should never have colleagues or superiors who make you feel bad about taking time off, some workplaces drop hints and comments about how they’re going to cope if you take time off. It’s key to remember that you should never feel guilty for having time off. It’s easy to feel this way if you’re the only person who can do a certain job, or if you know you will have a higher workload when you return – but having a day off or taking a vacation is your absolute right.
4. Keep Your Two Schedules Separate
The best way to segregate your mind and have a better focus on both your work and your private life is to avoid the two overlapping. This could include:
- Avoiding taking personal calls or messages while at work
- Switching off your phone altogether while at work, or putting it out of reach
- Avoid checking work emails or messages while you are at home or during your time off
- Don’t check in with anything work-related while you are on vacation
- Avoid talking about your work or the stressful day you’ve had when you arrive home – don’t spend an entire evening revisiting your workday, try and forget about it
- Avoid doing anything social during your lunch break or regular breaks at work. If you meet up with friends at lunch, this may make you feel less motivated when you return to work, as your mindset may have shifted to casual and social mode!
A good balance can easily be found if you take the right steps.