Posts Tagged ‘achieving work life balance’

Have you ever experienced those times wherein you’re too tired to do anything at all? Do you let the lazy bug get the best of you? Do you find yourself postponing things instead of doing them right away? Do you have the habit of telling yourself “I’ll do that tomorrow”? If you have, then welcome to the procrastinator’s club. President: Me.

I’ve always had trouble achieving work life balance. To me, it was impossible. You had to give up something to attain achievement on the other but little did I know that I was doing something very wrong. I was delaying my tasks both personally and professionally. I was slowly building my own nightmare. By delaying tasks, I was creating an enormous pile of things to do – all of which have tight deadlines.

If there’s one time management skill I needed, it was the ability to end procrastination. I needed to stop doing things the next day when I can work on it right here, right now. I needed to have a new perspective and a new approach to my tasks. I needed discipline and a great reminder of what I should do to improve productivity.

Doing things right away entails a great deal of discipline especially when laziness lurks in every corner. You need to be focused on what you want to happen so you can do things that will actually help you attain those. Doing things right away also helps you with time management. If you’re able to end your tasks way before the deadline, you have ample time for other things.  Getting things done right then and there is one of the best time management techniques out there. It definitely saves you time.

Time management is essential when you want to achieve work life balance. It helps make you effective and get things done in lesser time thus giving you more time for other personal matters. But is it true that emails may be getting in the way of effective time management?

Emails are an essential part of a company’s operations. It’s one of the communication channel used to delegate, inform or simply convey important things across several people in the office or across the world. It’s an effective way of communication but it can also takes up a lot of time if not done the right way. Spending too much time in writing or reading emails is not part of time management skills that lets you get things done in lesser time.

Here are some time management techniques in dealing with emails:


  • Keep your emails brief and write to the point.
  • Check your emails 3 to 4 times a day to avoid distractions.
  • Do not show email notifications in a pop up. This will distract you from the current task you’re working on and does not help improve productivity.
  • Work on each email the moment you first read them. Identify if they should be included in your to-do list, needs a reply, should be delegated or deleted. If they need to be replied to or delegated, do it right away.
  • Write emails that do not require complicated issues. A phone call or meeting is more appropriate for things that need to be discussed thoroughly.
  • Emails are great and they are of big importance too but make sure that they don’t distract you in any way or be the reason why you can’t get things done.

    Working and having a baby is no joke. It’s tough trying to juggle the two and it takes real determination, strong willpower and superb time management skills to make it all work out. But it can be done. So many women have been doing it successfully. Here are some tips to help you in achieving work life balance:

    1. Do your best to keep all your attention in the appropriate places. If you’re at home, do not think of work and just be with your family.
    2. Do not forget that you have a partner. Divide the workload as much as possible and let your partner be a part of the responsibilities at home.
    3. Do not feel guilty every time you go to the office. You’re working to earn a living, not spending leisure time.
    4. Do not hesitate to communicate openly with your boss and co-workers. This will give them a clear picture of what you’re going through and how they can help. They can also help in making work life balance attainable.
    5. Do not think too much of household chores and keeping everything spic and span. With a baby or toddler in the house, cleaning the house after them is a never ending task.
    6. Try to think of ways to maximize time. You can take advantage of a flexible schedule or other arrangements that can help you spend more time at home. With time management, you can gain more time to spend with your family.
    7. Always have time for your partner once in a while. Go out on dates; watch a movie or anything that allows the two of you to be alone. This helps maintain a good family work life balance.
    8. Always have time for yourself. Enjoy a day with your closest girl friends or treat yourself to a spa. You need time to be with yourself to stay focused.

    People from the new generation have a different take on things. With technology rising in all parts of the world, they couldn’t help but adapt. They have different views and opinions in a lot of things. One of these things is work life balance.

    Work life balance is placed with great value and considered to be one essential part of a person’s life. However to the new generation, they have long given up hope of achieving work life balance. To them, it doesn’t exist. But they choose the work that best fits their lifestyle. They don’t settle for anything less anymore. For people who want to travel and have more personal time, they only take part-time jobs. With the right time management skills, this gives them more than enough time to do where they want to go. They also do not invest in material things such as houses or cars because they know they won’t be staying in one place for a long time. For people who are career-oriented and are thirsty for newer and bigger accomplishments, they go for jobs in highly acclaimed companies that provide great benefits to help improve productivity. The people of the newer generation work only for the type of job that they are interested in and the amount that can sustain their way of living.

    Because of this, companies who are looking to hire more employees must think of ways to attract them. The old tricks won’t do anymore. Recruiters must now target the right persons for the jobs. They should give out a little bit more flexibility and more room for time management. Recruiters should always promote communication lines to be open at all times to be able to have a more thorough and reasonable negotiation.

    Sometimes the bigger things can be accomplished by taking small, easy steps. Sometimes, you don’t need a thorough analysis of the entire situation just to figure out what’s wrong. The simple things often save us from bigger catastrophes. It can even help us in our time management skills.

    Instead of going through numerous time management trainings, you only need to make a habit of five simple steps. Once you get used to it, everything else will fall into place.

    1. Get enough sleep. That doesn’t necessarily mean longer hours in deep slumber but rather, the quality of your sleep. You need to be relaxed and not stressed to fully optimize your sleep.

    2. To avoid wasting precious time, always have a to-do list. This tells you exactly what you need to do first thing when you get to the office.

    3. Clean your work stations or areas. A messy desk can never help improve productivity. Clutters and mess everywhere can add to more distractions. Instead of concentrating, you end up distracted, irate and unproductive.

    4. No matter how busy you are, do not forget to take your lunch breaks. We all need a time out from all office works to unwind and clear our mind. It’s also a way to retrieve and refresh our creative juices.

    5. You need to spend quality time on all aspects of our lives. Our lives are composed of seven vital areas which are: family, health, spiritual, intellectual, financial, social and professional. Each one of these areas requires our attention in order to achieve a proper work life balance. They are all connected and inter-related which is why it is essential that we take good care of them.

    By following the above-mentioned steps, achieving time management doesn’t seem so difficult anymore.

    There are so many things that hinder us from achieving work life balance. There are so many factors that sometimes make it impossible. However, companies must understand that it is important for employees to meet their personal obligations so they can improve productivity at work. If an employee has no problems at home, it follows that he/she will have no problems in the office resulting to a better performance. For this to be possible, here are some of the needs of employees that must be met so they can continue to give excellent service.

    Flexibility – This is probably the most important thing for employees nowadays. They want to know that they have some type of control in how they do things. They want to be creative in doing their tasks. They want to be given the freedom on how to go about things. It’s all in personal time management.

    Workload stress and productivity – Employers must value their employees and they must not put too much pressure especially if those are unnecessary pressure. Employees don’t want to work in an environment that focuses on stress instead of productivity. Employers must encourage time management for them to finish all tasks in their normal work schedules. This will also help them maintain work life balance.

    Health care - Companies must value their employee’s health and well being. If an employee is healthy and well, he/she will be able to do more at work. Employees want to work in an environment that can offer them health benefits.

    These are only some of the issues that companies are dealing with to be able to bring in employees of the new generation.

    Work and life balance came into existence when it was first used in the late 1970’s. It was used to describe the balance between an individual’s work and personal life. It has evolved ever since and with the rise of modern technologies nowadays, more and more people are getting caught up with work. Work life balance is having enough time to work and yet still have time to enjoy and have fun in life.

    There is no perfect recipe in achieving work life balance. It varies for different people because we are experiencing and are exposed to a lot of different things. And if you do find that balance, there is a possibility wherein that same balance may not work for you next week.

    There are two things you can focus on to get that work and life balance. When you have mastered this, all else will fall into place.

    Achievement is essential in this balance. Your career must be at its peak and promotions and recognition awards are your goal. In achieving this, you can use time management systems to make sure that you’re using your time wisely.

    Pleasure is another thing. As much as you want be successful in your career, it is also essential for you to know if you’re happy. Is this your dream job? Or is it the only thing holding you back from your real dreams?

    Achieving and enjoying go hand in hand for you to achieve work life balance. You must learn how to improve productivity at work to succeed in your job while having enough time to spend with your family. When you’re at the office, focus on work-related issues that demand your attention. When you’re at home, focus and give attention to the people around you. It’s all a matter of personal time management.

    “With great power comes great responsibility.” This adage is proven true by managers. They have bigger pays and a higher rank but with it come a lot of work too. Managers need to oversee the operations for the entire department or team that they’re handling. They are the eye and they see to it that things are moving and meeting the customer’s needs. They are overloaded with work which is why they need time management skills to be able to make everything work out. Good managers know how to balance time and family. They have a good work life balance.

    Here are a few time management techniques that came from managers themselves:

    You must be able to determine the things that you can do and the things that need to be done by others. For things that can be done by others, learn to delegate and let others do the said task.

    Review the entire operation procedures for any tasks that are too time-consuming. There may be areas where changes can be made to improve productivity.

    Always be prepared and learn to prioritize. Think of the things that need to be done by tomorrow and list them all according to urgency and priority. When you get to the office the following day, you know where to start right away and not waste time fiddling and thinking of what to do first. Proper planning and goal setting must be done to ensure an increase in productivity.

    Remember these things and try it out. You’ll see a huge difference in the way you manage time. Through effective time management, a manager’s job is made stressful and easier.

    If you compare the employees now and then, you’ll see a difference that’s so huge and a gap that’s quite vast. What employees are looking for in companies before are not necessarily what employees of today’s generation are looking for now. Work life balance is much easier attained by employees of the new generation.

    Employees of the new generation have high expectations for growth even if it’s only an entry-level job. They don’t apply for just any job, it has to be one that they love doing to the extent that they’d go for months without a job rather than work for something they don’t really have any interest in.

    Employees of the new generation are looking for companies who can offer them better ways in achieving work life balance. They don’t want to spend too much time in the office. As much as possible, they want to do it outside the office. They want to work and deliver results no matter where they are, it’s really all in personal time management. Companies who offer flexibility in work schedules usually get the attention of these employees.

    The reasons why employees before stuck with their jobs are for financial security and other benefits that comes with the job. But employees of the new generation don’t give this much weight. Often times, they work where their friends are. They feel motivated to work in an environment where they are comfortable with the people and are generally happy with the people around them. They believe it helps improve productivity.

    There are new breeds of workers who value their lives and still possess time management skills to get the work done. Companies are trying all sorts of strategies to reel them in.

    Do you go to work an hour earlier than you’re supposed to? Do you get to work as soon as you get there? Yet despite being early and all, you find yourself in the office 2-4 hours after your normal time out? When you get home, do you go straight to bed without taking time to talk to anyone because you’re tired? If this is how your day goes, you are in dire need of a work life balance to set things right.

    How do you do that? Here are some tips on achieving work life balance without compromising your performance professionally:

    • Keep a daily log of the things that you did. Chances are, you’ve been doing something that’s not necessary or can be kept out.
    • Know the options that you can benefit from. If you can have flexible hours, grab it. It’ll give you more time with your family and to rest. It’ll help keep a family work life balance for you.
    • Communication is crucial. Avoid petty misunderstandings and try to listen and understand more.
    • We can’t do everything that is asked of us. When you think things are too much, learn to say no politely. It’s better to be upfront about it rather than say yes and doing it all wrong.
    • Once you step out of the office, consider yourself a free man. Technologies such as mobile phones and laptops should be kept at minimal use only.
    • On your days off, try to relax as much as possible. It’s the only time you can do that.
    • Do not deprive yourself of proper sleep. Not getting enough sleep is already stressful to begin with.
    • The main key to improve productivity and having a life is by having the right time management skills. You get more work done in less time if you just know how to manage it. There are a lot of time management trainings that you can attend. They can give you tips and tricks on how to save time so you can enjoy life.