Times are tough – there is no doubt about it. But if we don’t make time for our wellness, then you will need to take time for your illness.
We need to be able to proactively manage our boundaries so that we can put our “own airmask on first”. Otherwise, we are just going to end up passing out from lack of oxygen.
So, consider some specific steps that you can consider to ensure you have the right balance.
Play to Your Strengths
Don’t try and be all things to all people. Focus on your strengths and outsource the rest. You only have a limited time available to you so consider sharing tasks at home and at work that play to the strengths of yourself and those around you.
Prioritise Your Time
You may have a to-do list with 50 tasks on it, so you need to prioritise those tasks into four categories. An oldie but a goodie strategy is to classify those tasks based on whether they are urgent and/or important.
Are they:
· Urgent and important
· Important but not urgent
· Urgent but not important
· Neither urgent nor important.
Know your peaks and troughs
Are you a morning person?
If you are, assign tough, high-concentration tasks to the mornings. Don’t leave the tough tasks until its night-time and vice versa.
Have set work hours – and stick to them
Set work hours for yourself and do everything in your power to stick to them. Otherwise, before you know it, you’ll be working until midnight every night.
Manage your time, long term
Create a timeline of your activities. Specific computer programs can help with this, or you can customize your own Excel spreadsheet or Word table.
Put dates across the top and activities down the side. Break each task into components.
Include family commitments – such as holidays, birthday parties, etc. – so you don’t forget that you are unavailable for work on those days.
Make your workspace work for you
A cluttered desk is equal to a cluttered min as the old saying goes. Have a look around your workstation and ask yourself whether it is really working for you and how you could maximise the potential of your workstation to maximise your productivity.
Make exercise a must-do, not a should-do
It’s easy to cancel the gym, the evening run or the yoga class because a client wants something done yesterday.
Instead, ensure exercise is given as much priority as your clients. A healthy body means a fresh mind, which means you will function better and complete tasks in less time.
Take time to make time
Invest in time-tracking tools. There are plenty of tools you can use to track everything from the frequency and duration of meetings, to chasing and converting leads.
Time-tracking software allows you to quickly build an understanding of how long a particular task takes. Even filling out a simple time sheet can work wonders
That way, you can effectively estimate how long your next work tasks are taking you.
Tap Into Others
When you feel yourself headed under water, reach out to those around you proactively rather than reactively. It’s ok not to be ok!
People around us and services around us can be an extremely valuable resource – reach out when you need to.
Be realistic
At the end of each working day, perform a little self-analysis. Ask yourself what worked today, what didn’t, what went wrong and how the issue can be fixed.
Manage your mind
When fear or self-doubt or anxiety creeps in, do some work on your mental health such as meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing etc that can put you back on track. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
Take a break
Remember to take time out throughout your day.
Some tasks are easier than others, so if you find yourself with an hour up your sleeve, be realistic about whether you can “afford” to rest or not.
You might not have time every day to simply sit and “be”, but do your best to give yourself a lunch break.
Also, make a point of getting up and stretching every 90 minutes. It will help you become clearer, more focused and more productive.
Want to know more about managing your work life balance? Send me an email at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com to enquire about coaching and training to build your strategies.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ48 accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals and organisations to develop their Mental Toughness to improve performance, leadership, behaviour and wellbeing. You can find her at www.bakjacconsulting.com or michelle@bakjacconsulting.com
