For high achievers, perfectionists and people who like to do their best, a good work and life balance can seem impossible to grasp. It’s simply not feasible to give 100% to each area of your life, and so inevitably somewhere starts to suffer; you’re either not meeting your targets at work or not seeing your partner and kids nearly as much as you’d like.
Nevertheless, we believe that where there’s a will there’s a way. Here are some tips inspired by Jacquelyn Smith at Forbes to make the seemingly impossible work and life balance, possible.
Speak to your employer
If you’re a valued employee your boss might be willing to offer the sort of benefits that will give you more of your own time without necessarily doing less work. In results-driven environments it’s possible to focus and achieve more in a shorter period if you know that with a flexi-time option, you can head home a little early or go watch that midday football game in exchange for a couple of hours of work after dinner. Some employees might even be willing to consider a work-from-home option. If your partner works from home too, even if you’re both studiously at your desks, you could meet for lunch at the kitchen table. According to Smith, “if you’re a strong performer, you have a better chance of negotiating an arrangement that works for both you and your employer.” Without having to fight the traffic or commute, and free from office-related distractions, you might be more productive than before.
Beware of the technology paradox
Smith eloquently suggests: “Technology is a good servant, but a bad master.” She reminds us that smartphones are meant to make life simpler, not to reign over it. Consider certain times no-phone periods, perhaps over dinner. Communicate this policy with your colleagues and management so people know that between certain hours of the day you’ll be out of reach. As flummoxed as your co-workers or kids might be to hear of the new rule, they’ll be surprised to discover that life goes on even when we don’t pick up the phone.
Decide what’s right for you and let go of the guilt
As it turns out doing it all and being it all is not only unattainable but it’s also no fun. Whittle down your obligations, duties and social engagements to the bare essential. Make sure that everything on your to-do-list is in fact to your benefit or the benefit of your family. This doesn’t mean being selfish. You may value teaching your kids about a sense of community by heading out as a family to pick up litter in the local park for an hour on a Saturday afternoon.
Outsource as much as possible
If you can afford it, hire someone to clean those parts of the house you’ve been spending your weekends on. For some, cleaning, gardening and maintenance is a source of therapy but if that’s not you, there’s no shame in employing a specialist to take care of the admin that’s eating up your very limited free time.
Guard your leisure time like a hawk
It’s too easy for work to take priority. Society prizes ambition, success and accomplishment but at the end of the day your happiness, relationships and experience of the world are the things that will count to you. Keep Sundays a family day and book your holidays as religiously as you’d stick to your account strategy. Choose a destination that’s right for the whole family so your kids can happily explore beautiful natural surroundings while you and your partner lounge happily on the beach before joining altogether for a long lazy summer lunch overlooking the sea from one of the beautiful apartments in Calpe.
Finding a work and life balance is not simply about creating a schedule to ensure you’re well-rested enough for work, but rather it’s a reevaluation of what you value in your life, and often when we calculate what’s most precious to us, we find that the time currently allotted to that treasure doesn’t nearly do it justice.
Investing in a holiday home on the coast could be your solution to making more time to spend with family. For more information about family-friendly destinations and property in which to make the most of your leisure time as you strive for a better work and life balance, contact Grupo Esmeralda, leaders in the Costa Blanca property market.
