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“Work/life balance” is such a buzzword, and few of us know how to really enact it in our lives. While it’s true that ‘balance’ won’t always mean an even, 50/50 split on both sides of the equation (and seems to teeter between the two), I’m a firm believer that creating a strict time regiment and schedule is a great way to ensure you’re filling both buckets: work and family.
The one thing we can never get back is our time, so properly managing it is key. It’s similar to the quote that says, “How you spend your time reflects what you value.” Some days, it’s easy to let work swallow you whole when you’re in a productive groove or new things are happening in your business. But, if we really want our time to reflect our values — both to ourselves and those we care about — it’s important to have clear lines in the sand about when work starts and ends.
Mandate a Clear “Out of the Office Time”
We’ve all accidentally lost track of time on a call, in the ‘zone,’ or just catching up after a hectic day. Suddenly, we look up from our work and realize it’s 8:00 pm and we’ve just missed family dinner. I’ve learned that rather than saying, “I’m going to aim to be done with work by (this time), I have a very clear, mandated, “OOO” time mark.
For me, this is 4:00 pm at the absolute latest. My team and those I work with know that this is the ‘hard cut-off’ time, because I want to be able to get to my kids’ baseball and softball practices or games. They know that I will not accept calls or check my email from 4:00 pm-8:00 pm: enough time for me to be with my family, supporting my kids, and at dinner with them until they go to sleep. And since they know I’m unavailable during this time, I don’t experience the temptation or pressure to stay online or check my phone or email.
Make the most of time that can’t be family time.
There are a few times in the day that you can’t be spending time with your family, typically because they’re asleep, at school, or at work. Make the most of this time to get work done. Once my kids go to sleep around 8:00 pm, I make up for the rest of my day’s to-do list with a late-night work session. Then, I wake up at 5:15 am, which is before anyone else is up.
Have a detailed morning routine.
It’s important to value your productivity and get in all of the “non-urgent” tasks you want to get done throughout the work-portion of the day, too. After I get up at 5:00 am, I immediately work out, get into the office by 6:40 am, then read or study for thirty to forty-five minutes. Since working out and reading (I have a goal of finishing three books every month) are technically “non-urgent” to-do items, I find it vitally important to knock out both first thing in the morning — otherwise, the day gets hectic and I don’t get around to it. This is how we can slip on our goals. Plus, we are more productive when we work out, so I quite like the mental clarity and creativity boost that’s awarded from my morning CrossFit sessions.
The truth is that we’re only in control of a few things in this life — but our time, and how we spend it, is one of them. By creating a strict regimen that provides plenty of time to be present in both work and family (and our personal goals between the two), we can feel more confident in our ability to truly strike a work and family balance.
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