Seven Tips for a Better Work-Life Balance

When creativity consultant Pamela Meyer conducted a workshop at our office, we discovered one of the company's primary strengths was that "our commitment to work-life balance ultimately makes us better at our jobs."

We are involved in many personal endeavors outside of Mightybytes. Activities like training for the Climate Ride, adapting and performing children’s stories, and playing in the local Spazzball league are extremely important to us. I talked to the crew at the office, and they told me some of the tips that help them find a better balance between personal and professional pursuits:

1. Tai keeps a combination of an actual planner and a digital planner. A great example is if you forget your phone at the office and you have an engagement in the evening. Having that paper backup still maintains that organization.
2. Tim likes finding opportunities to multitask. He often does a lot of his creative thinking while exercising at the gym or cycling. You too, can spark new ideas for your work while riding your bike to work.
3. Cesar advocates respecting your own time for simple leisure activities. If you set aside two hours to read a book, make sure that you’re reading that book and not letting other things get in the way.
4. Stephanie advises treating your personal life activities as projects. For example, if your hobby is making movies on the weekends, then try applying the same project management skills you do at work to your video shoots and editing time.
5. Joy loves keeping a strict planner schedule for social plans. For instance, don’t make dinner plans at a friend’s house if you know you can’t make it for sure.
6. James likes to create a “buffer” activity between work life and personal life. He suggests going on a walk after work, cooking food, or focusing on a new hobby such as learning an instrument. Buffer activities can be a symbolic and meditative process that separates you from work so you’re not taking that part of your life home with you.
7. Bryan says to respect and understand the work-life balance of your co-workers. For example, if putting off an important task at work is going to make one of your co-workers stay at the office later than usual, realize that it can go the other way as well.

Final Thoughts

Are you able to find time for both your work life and personal life? Do you have any other suggestions or tips for achieving a successful work-life balance? Let us know.