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3 Top Tips to improve your work/home life balance

1.  Learn how to delegate ... and do more of it!

It's so easy to convince ourselves that all of the little tasks need our personal attention.  It's no wonder that we are so frazzled and tired.

Take an honest look at your workload.  For one week keep a daily list of all of the tasks that you do.  Before you leave work each day review that day's list.  Are all of the jobs listed a good use of your time?  Which could be done by somebody else?  Even if that job takes only 5 minutes a day that adds up to nearly half an hour a week of nearly 2 hours per month.  Makes you think, doesn't it?

When you find a job on your list that could be done just as well by someone else, delegate it!

2.  Establish & maintain boundaries between work and life

When you are at home switch off your mobile phone, shut down your e-mail and put away your briefcase, files and anything else that is related to your work.  It is important that you establish an effective division between your work life and your home life.  If your mind keeps thinking about work tasks that need doing then jot them down (so you have a reminder for when you are next at work) and then forget about them.

It is not just our work that needs to stay at work, our home life needs to stay at home.  Don't bring your home life to your office.  That way you will be able to concentrate more fully on the tasks at hand and deal with them more efficiently.

3. Make time for the things that you enjoy

It is so easy when we get home from work to pop a ready meal into the microwave, switch on the tv and then spend the rest of the evening slumped on the sofa.  Or it could be the case that you rush home to prepare a meal for the family and then spend the rest of the evening catching up on chores.  Either way it is important to find time to do some of the things that you enjoy e.g. reading, playing the guitar, cooking, exercising or seeing friends.

What could you do this week that you love but haven't done for a while?  Who could you telephone and have a chat with or arrange to see?  What have you always fancied trying but haven't got round to doing yet?  When did you last have a nice hot bath with a good book and a glass of wine?  Whatever it may be, plan what you want to do and do it!

If you don't make time for you, who will?

That's it for now.  If you would like to find out more about improving your work/home life balance then contact me now.

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"Never continue in a job you don't enjoy.  If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace.  And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined".

Johnny Carson