As an ambitious entrepreneur or team leader, you always have a lot of things to keep going, right? You want to be a good partner, a loving parent and at the same time a successful entrepreneur or team leader. Of course, you also need to work out every now and then and prepare a healthy and varied – preferably home-cooked – meal every day. Oh, and you would like to have some me-time too! That is no easy task. Certainly not in the current circumstances, since we are doing almost everything between the same four walls. Which feeling is resurfacing? Guilt? Then it is high time to bring a little more balance into your work-life.
Do you often have that too? That you want to stay in control and prefer to do everything yourself? Because you don’t like to delegate. Or because you think it will go faster if you do it yourself? Perhaps you think you have to do it because otherwise it’s not good enough? Letting go of things is an art.
Perfectionism sometimes produces very beautiful things, but at the same time it is an ugly creature. It causes us to want to do everything as good as possible and sometimes causes us to forget ourselves during the process. In most cases that goes well for a long time. And then suddenly not at all. The reason? Perfectionism consumes energy. Get started with these 5 tips and manage your work-life balance.
My 5 best tips for a good work-life balance
Tip 1: Find balance
Always want to do everything? You don’t have to. My tip: regularly make time to reflect on what you think and do. What do you really want? Get out of that daily rush for a moment. Go into nature, go for a walk or take a moment in the morning before the rush of the day, give yourself confidence … and consciously think about the things that make you happy. Write them down. These are your energizers. In addition, think consciously about the things that cost far too much energy. And find solutions to minimize the impact of your energy guzzlers. I use the DDD method for this. This means that you can do three things with all kinds of tasks, activities or obligations that do not make you happy:
– Delegate: find solutions. Who can take over your energy guzzlers ?
– Do: consciously choose to things yourself. But do not put negative energy into it. Do it without nagging.
– Dumpi: eliminate things from your life when they no longer serve you.
Think about ironing, for example. You can dump it (just don’t do it), do it (without nagging) or delegate it (outsource it to an ironing studio). Try it yourself. If you focus on what you love to do, you will immediately feel better about yourself. So choose where you put your energy. And take good care of yourself instead of just the others. This way, you will enjoy life much more. Do you want to discover more about how you can boost your energy balance? Read my other blog here.
Tip 2: Plan as much as possible
Do you often feel that there are too few hours in a day? My best tip: organize and plan. Can’t get to exercise? No time for friends? Just put it in your calendar. Does it nag at you that you spend too little time with your child(ren)? Block out a time each day. If it is deliberately planned, it will undoubtedly succeed. The same goes for grocery shopping. Schedule it on a fixed day in the week. And prepare your shopping list and weekly menu the day before. This way you avoid going to the supermarket three times a week and losing time. What a win-win situation! And… your children and partner can also help with some household chores. Agree together on the various tasks and get everyone to contribute.
Tip 3: Ask for help
Another tip I would like to give you: dare to ask for help. From your friends, your partner, a family member or a professional. Sometimes you keep worrying about an issue while someone else looks at it with a fresh eye and immediately sees a solution. Are you no longer happy with your current job? Call in a job coach. Are you stuck with certain aspects of your life? A mindset coach teaches you to think positively. Do you miss connection? Bring it up! This way you become the very best version of yourself. Just dare to say what you need. That takes some courage – because you are somewhat vulnerable – but it can lead to beautiful things.
Tip 4: Digital detox
Another final– but not unimportant – tip: avoid being online all the time. Turn off your computer, smartphone and tablet completely at certain times of the day. This way you can work with 100% focus. Or switch everything off completely and make time for a virtuous moment of silence. The way to get back in balance!
Reading material for those who want more
Do you find it difficult to work from home? Do you always feel that you need more direction, peace and space? Then I can highly recommend the book ‘GRIP’ by Rick Pastoor. Prefer a classic? ‘Getting Things Done’ by David Allen is an international bestseller about personal productivity. And ‘Focus ON/OFF’ by Mark Tigchelaar is full of practical tips to prevent so-called concentration leaks.