We live in a world where working hard is touted as the ultimate virtue. Every person who has achieved success says that they did it by working hard. Other factors might be involved but working hard is always one of them.
Sacrifices People Make for Work
It’s very tempting to give up everything else and focus on your work. The things you end up sacrificing include your spouse, friends, parents, siblings, children, hobbies, passions etc. It’s not merely that you’re sacrificing your time with people you love. You’re also sacrificing the time you spend having fun, exercising, sleeping and following your dreams.
Time in the Future vs. Time Now
Have you always wanted to write a novel but never had the time because you were too busy working? The truth is that there’s never going to be time to do this in the future. You have to make time now. And in order to do this, you need to figure out a work-life balance.
Evaluating Your Work-Life Ratio
The first thing you should do is take a good long look at your life right now. Does work occupy a substantial chunk of it? Does it creep past the 9-5 and work its way into your weekends? Have you been spending time with family and friends? Have you been taking care of yourself? Or do you feel like you’re constantly overwhelmed with the amount of work you’ve taken on?
Working Many Hours vs. Getting the Job Done
Once you’ve already started to work overtime at work, it’s hard to cut back because people start expecting it from you. But keep in mind that what people want to see most at work are results. They don’t care if you work 9-5 or 9-8 as long as the work gets done.
Creative Ways of Saving Time at Work
Think of things that you’re doing at work that you can cut down on. Are there tasks which can be delegated? Can you possibly hire an assistant? Can you get the people on your team to help you out? With a little bit of creativity, you’ll find that it’s not so hard to make time for yourself or the people in your life.
