5 Tips for Maintaining Work-Life Balance

The idea of maintaining work-life balance might seem to be a myth and many times in our careers our work lives can feel overwhelming.

Instead of struggling for a balance that might not exist we can instead seek out a way to work that works for us and our unique lifestyle, while allowing us to maintain sanity.

Consider the following five factors when thinking about work-life balance and what is best for you.

Learn to say no. An important key to getting to a balanced place in your life is developing the ability to say no. Your mental health will thank you. Your stress level will thank you. And your work life will thank you. No one can do it all. Understand your limits and be willing to protect them with a well-calculated “no.”

Set structure and boundaries. There will always be exceptions, of course, but we need to be clear about the boundaries we set for our work lives and give it an appropriate structure. For example, you might choose to avoid working past a specific time each day or decline to work on the weekends. Additionally, you might add a walk around the block to your work schedule or after-lunch routine. Perhaps a brief nap or time for reading in the afternoon is what you need to regain focus and energy.

Take advantage of time off. You have time off for a reason. Use it. Whether it’s for a holiday or personal days off, be sure to take time off from your job and recharge. This time should be carefully guarded and carefully planned to ensure that it provides the maximum benefit to your personal like and to your career.

Use technology wisely. There are many problems for which tech companies claim to have a solution for. Unfortunately, some technology solutions simply add to the stress and busyness of life. Be sure that when you add tech to your plans that the technology actually solves the problem you need solving. If you have a work phone, consider getting a personal phone, too, so you can turn off the work phone at times without being available 24-7.

Focus on your health. Perhaps the most important thing you can do for your work life balance is to pay attention to your health and get adequate rest, eat healthy foods, eliminate harmful habits, and be sure to have an exercise regimen. Also, pay attention to your emotional health and mental well-being and seek out professional help when necessary.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Build a Million Dollar Side Hustle While Working a Full-Time Job

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Build a Million Dollar Side Hustle While Working a Full-Time Job:"Part of this success was due to a good product choice in a vibrant market. An even bigger chunk was because of the habits, disciplines and mindsets I adopted along the way."

• The 5 People You Must Have in Your Network: "These different views and perspectives should challenge your assumptions and question your drivers in ways that stretch you beyond a traditional same-industry mentor."

• 6 Books to Make the Best Decisions for Your Mind, Body & Soul: "This is not a guide to turning your life around, just the inspiring story of someone who did. But it might spur you to make changes of your own, for the good of those around you."

• The Essential Tools for All Freelancers & Micro-Businesses: "All these services are a reaction to the shift to self-employment and micro business ownership that has taken place over the last decade."
• 10 Motivation Tips for Freelancers Who Work from Home: "Each employee has a toy frog on their desk and it represents that one, dreaded task. Complete it and the frog can leave your desk. You can then get on with the work you actually want to be doing."

Using Technology to Stay Organized

Sometimes the technology that is supposed to make our lives easier both professionally and personally, while keeping us better organized and more productive, seems to do just the opposite. Take time to set up systems to work in your favor, including performing some regular maintenance. These actions are critical for using technology to successfully schedule meetings, control paper clutter, and organize e-mail.

Google Calendar is one of the best tools available for keeping all of your meetings straight. Set up your calendar to color code certain types of project activities. For example, company meetings can be blue, client appointments yellow and a key project's commitments green. Synch this information with all of your devices so it’s easier to make additions and changes at any time. Another great time-saving option is sharing select information, such as available meeting times, with colleagues and clients.

To control paper clutter, make digital copies of paperwork. A scanner such as NeatDesk takes an entire stack of paper and feeds it through without assistance. It’s useful for keeping paperwork, receipts, and business cards organized in one place, clutter-free.

Use electronic tools to keep your email organized; for example, flags can be used to identify important items and archiving is helpful for saving messages you may need to refer to later. And if you do archive, consider organizing archive folders by client or project.

These are just a few examples of how to capitalize on technology that has been designed to make our lives easier. For more organizing ideas, search for How To videos and tips available on the Internet.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. 5 Techie Tools Every Job Seeker Should Use
"Technology provides the tools to make life easier, however, they are not the quick fix to getting a job. These tools will improve upon the job-search strategies you're already using."

2. 5 Career Training Tips Inspired by Olympic Athletes 
"Olympic athletes have an array of mentors, from coaches to physical therapists and expert analysts. Seek out peers and influential colleagues to learn more about your company, line of work or industry when you need help."

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3. 5 Lessons the Presidential Campaign Teaches Us About Getting a Job
"While most of us won't experience anything near this level of intensity in our own job-search efforts, we can still learn quite a bit from watching the candidates as they make their way through the process of trying to get the country's most important job."

4. 5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask
"Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference. They know helping the company succeed means they succeed as well."

5. Colleagues Complaining? Why You Need to Tune it Out  
"It's clear that constant exposure to complaints will reinforce negative thinking, and your behavior is likely to change to fit those negative perceptions."