The Workaholic’s Guide to Work/Life Balance

By: Angelique O’Bryan

Some people just have it all worked out… we all have that one friend who effortlessly manages a career, family life, kids, social stuff, whatever. I’m one of the ones who struggles with it—a lot. That struggle, though, has taught me a lot about what’s really important in life and what my goals and needs are.

Here are my top 5 tips for where to start on your quest for a better WLB:

Love what you do.

When you enjoy all of the different facets of your life, you enjoy the whole of it.  We all have days when things aren’t amazing, but if you can’t find it within yourself to get out of bed every day and go to work, it might be time to have some introspect as to why.  Part of balance is having purpose and loving your purpose.

Make a conscious effort.

WLB takes practice. Blocking specific time on your schedule for social engagements, hobbies and personal time can help you manage your WLB and allow you to reserve more time for yourself. “Me time” isn’t the whole point, but it’s a big part of the puzzle.

Prioritize; edit your obligations.

Family, friends, kid stuff, date night and alone time. Figure out what things you really need to do in order to be happy, then line out what things you have to do and commit. The rest is flexible (and true down-time should fit in there somewhere too).

Cut it out.

Don’t overextend yourself. Find your passion points and stick to them, and manage your boundaries in such a way that you aren’t committing to things that will be a source of stress. Learn to say ‘no’.

Proactively seek your own brand of happiness.

Each of our ideal balances are as different as we are… the things that I work so hard to incorporate into my life might be the things that you want to get away from. Know what you want so that you know what you’re looking for.

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