Work-Life balance: Lifestyle or Career?

One could spend a life time never caring about what they do for a living. After all life is not just about what you do to earn a living. But the smarter ones realise that most of our time is spent practicing our profession and hence it is extremely important that we choose a profession which we don’t just relate to, but something which we are happy to be a part of. That is not limited just to finding the right job but you must also actively seek to be a part of the right organisation which shares your vision, beliefs and work ethics. Anyone who has their professional life in order can focus on the other aspects of their lives and hence have a better chance of living a more fulfilled life.

That said, it is utterly foolish to think that it is okay to turn your whole life around in the pursuit of a professional dream. For starters it may not pan out as you had planned and secondly we need support to keep functioning as heathy (mentally) and socially responsible individuals. You could for a short duration cut yourself off from everyone but doing that for a prolonged period of time can actually cause you more harm than good. If you keep yourself isolated for unhealthily long durations every day, you may soon experience what is known as Emotional Fatigue. If you think this sounds bad, you need to understand more. If you slip in to this mindset, soon you will not only neglect your health an social life but soon this ethic will start creeping into your professional outlook. And that will eventually lead to disappointment at every sphere of your life.

So, although, it is important that you focus on your professional success, it is at least equally important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Now almost everyone suffers with maintaining this balance because there is no telling which side you are more inclined on because at your end you are trying your best on both these fronts. So we are going to give you a few pointers which are a clear indicator that you are focusing more on one aspect of your life. Please read our blog Work-Life Balance: Signs that you are leading a unhealthy lifestyle to understand how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and then refer to Work Life Balance: Signs that you are neglecting your profession

If you think you have been neglecting any of the two key aspects of your life, here are a few tips to improve

Work-Life balance: Focusing on career

1. Set aside some time for learning: One of the most common mistakes people make after they start working is they stop learning. Learning is a life long process and if you want to stay competent at your job you must never stop learning. What to learn is something you have to figure out for yourself. Internet is full of useful information and people around you can also give you a good idea about what you should learn. Which brings us to our second point
2. Stay connected: You colleagues are not only for delegation and after work parties, you should talk to your colleagues every chance you get about what they are doing to improve themselves and what their future plans are. Exploring options yourself is a good habit but sometimes you may miss out on the best one, which your comrades can easily point you towards.
3. Set goals: If you have no goal, you will never be inspired to learn or improve yourself. Goal setting is not  just a good habit but a skill in itself. Search about smart goals and you will see how if you set yourself the right goals, half the job is already done. Also many say that right goal setting is one of the key skills needed to excel and advance in your career
4. Take responsibility: One of the ways to improve at your job is to learn to take responsibility. If something goes wrong, if anything goes wrong, you must think how you could have avoided it rather than finding out whom to blame. Taking responsibility is a clear sign of leadership quality and this trait will bring you to the attention of your seniors. It will also help you figure out the things you need to learn to get better at your job.
5. Reward yourself: This may seem trivial but celebrating your success is also equally important. This gives you the boost you need to get back on the horse and take on the next challenge. If you don’t acknowledge and celebrate your achievements you will never be inspired to push yourself beyond your limits, a quality that is a must for anyone who wants to have a successful professional life.

Work-Life balance: Maintaining lifestyle

1. Pick a hobby: As trivial as this may sound, this is one of the best ways to maintain a lifestyle that is balanced. If you don’t have a hobby you will waste time and that will only lead to regret. This makes you feel that maybe working more is the way to stay happy. If you instead pick a hobby, you will with time see yourself getting better at something and this is a good way to distract yourself from the stress of your professional life.
2. Exercise: This could be the hobby you have, if not, make sure you find some time, at least half hour in a day, to exercise. A sound mind can only live in a sound body. Also physical exercise is not just a stress buster; it is the reboot that your nervous system needs especially when it is overworked. You will find that nearly all successful people stress on maintaining an exercise routine to stay healthy.