Achieving the perfect combination of work, home, and/or play is an equation that is difficult to solve.
These days, our work and personal lives are increasingly intertwined, with work happening in our personal spaces and our personal well-being impacted by our jobs and careers more than ever.
Work-life balance is about finding a way to balance the demands of your work or study with your personal life and the things that ‘top you up’.
Often, people are stuck with meeting the demands of the workplace, home, study, and even spiritual life. A good work-life balance means you can be happy and productive at work and also have time for yourself and your family.
Experts believe that people need to be cautious when they feel stressed and overwhelmed at work or at home.
According to Gary Wood, a psychologist, life coach, and author, “Stress actually closes off the more creative parts of our cognitive processes and also distorts our perception of time.”
While it may seem counter-intuitive, taking time out to relax during the working day will help lighten a heavy workload.
Tina Wells, a business strategist, advisor, author, and the founder of RLVNT Media, disclosed that is where the concept of work-life harmony, or the integration of personal tasks and work tasks, comes into play.
“It’s different from work-life balance, in that you no longer need to focus on only work or only your personal life at any particular moment,” she explained.
Wells highlighted in her book, “The Elevation Approach”, the principles and a variety of tasks that can help anyone achieve such harmony.
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Here are three of the best tips from the book:
Don’t be afraid to let go
Success is not always marked by achievement. Recognising that a job is no longer serving you is the first step towards achieving work-life harmony.
She shared her personal experience thus; “A few years ago, I came to a crossroads in running my marketing agency, Buzz Marketing Group.
My feelings of burnout were growing faster than my company’s bottom line. I had to either find a way to make more money or figure out a new way to work.
Through much introspection, I decided to close my marketing company altogether and refocus my efforts on creating my own brands.
Letting go of my old business allowed me to focus on work that was more fulfilling and profitable.”
When you get stressed about a task, take a moment to reflect before jumping in.
When faced with a challenge or tough situation, many people either freeze or jump too quickly into problem-solving mode. Instead of doing this, take a moment to get curious about the issue at hand.
Take time to ask yourself questions about the scenario, ponder possible outcomes, and gather information.
How do you feel about the situation? Do you know anyone else who has gone through the challenge you are faced with?
What is the worst thing that could happen in this situation? What is the best outcome? Asking these questions can help you figure out a game plan before getting started.
Prioritise long-term joy over short-term happiness
Wells explained through her experience how she was able to navigate through such, when she said, “Though I’ve been a successful entrepreneur for decades, It took me years to finally realise that success didn’t have to involve working myself to exhaustion.
That’s why successful people think long-term and prioritise joy over happiness.”
Joy is a deep, long-lasting, and involuntary feeling of delight we feel when we’re doing or experiencing something.
Happiness is short-term, fleeting, and often circumstantial. For example, one may be happy when he/she gets a raise at work, but miserable doing the work he is paid to do.
Seeking out joy in your everyday life will help you sustain yourself even when you are doing things that are challenging or difficult.
“I find ways to inject joy into even my most stressful work days, be it by including my favourite activities, listening to music that makes me smile, surrounding myself with photos or books that spark a smile,” she revealed.
