Everyone wants to have a good work-life balance but not everybody knows how to achieve this. Marketing Managers, Business Development Officers and Entrepreneurs are all often guilty of putting their work before everything and working all hours under the sun. This is not healthy and can actually reduce productivity and motivation. In this blog post we are revealing our top tips to a good work-life balance.

Let go of perfection
Many overachievers develop perfectionist tendencies when their demands are limited to school, hobbies and maybe an after-school job but as you grow up life gets more complicated, you have more demands to meet. Work gets harder and takes up more time, your family grows and your responsibilities overload. The key to avoid burning out is to let go of perfectionism. The healthier option is to strive for excellence rather than perfection.

Unplug
Technology has helped our lives in many ways but it has also created expectations of constant accessibility. The work day never seems to end. There are times when it is okay to just shut off your phone and enjoy the moment. Make quality time truly quality time by not responding to work emails when you are spending time with family. By not reacting to the updates from work you will develop a stronger habit of resilience and resilient people feel a greater sense of control in their lives.

Exercise and meditate
Even when we are at our most busy we make time for important things such as eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, yet one of our most crucial needs – exercise- is often the first thing to go when our calendars fill up. Exercise is an effective stress reducer. It pumps feel-good endorphins through your body which can improve your mood drastically. We recommend dedicating a few hours a week to self-care, whether its exercise, yoga or meditation.

Limit time-wasting activities and people
First, identify what’s most important in your life and then draw firm boundaries so you can devote quality time to these high-priority people and activities. From there you can determine what or who needs to be dropped from the schedule. If email or internet surfing sends you into a time-wasting spiral, establish rules to keep you from going off-task. Focus on the people and activities that reward you most.

Change the structure of your life
Sometimes habits become set in stone and this reduces both productivity and motivation. Take a birds-eye view of your life and ask yourself: What changes could make life easier? Don’t try and do too much, this will only add stress. Instead, focus on activities you specialise in and value most. Delegate or outsource everything else.

Start small. Build from there.
When we take on too much too quickly it is easy to give up. If you’re trying to change a certain area in your life, start small and experience some success, then build upwards from there.