Having a family and a career can be quite rewarding, but it can also be challenging. While juggling between family and work, you may have to compromise one for the other.
However, making sure that your family and career get the attention they deserve is possible. Call it the zone of genius or the sweet spot between super parent and super employee—a point where you can strike a balance between family and work.
Here are three tips on making both family and career a priority:
1. Schedule time for what matters most.
You schedule doctor’s appointments and social engagements months in advance. Why not do the same with your personal and professional goals?
Start by blocking off time in your calendar every day, week, and month for whatever is most important to you in your personal and professional life.
Get a planner that lets you chunk down your commitments into hourly segments. Also, write down everything you want to get done, whether it’s date night with your spouse or an hour of catching up on email.
Then treat it like a doctor’s appointment or other non-negotiable commitment that you must keep.
Related: How to Boost Your Productivity and Get Important Tasks Done.
2. Designate “unplugged” times each day.
Setting boundaries is crucial to a healthy work-life balance. To make family and career a priority, designate “unplugged” times each day (and stick to those times).
When you’re home from work, try not to check your phone every few minutes — instead, stay committed to the time you’ve set aside for family movie night or reading to your kids.
Also, if you work from home, try designating a separate room or space in your home as your office, and stick to a hard stopping time when you leave that space for the day.
3. Go on vacation.
Vacation time doesn’t have to be just for chilling out. It helps you to strengthen your relationships with your loved ones.
You can use your vacation time to go on trips with your family where you can bond with them while exploring different places together.
Even mini “staycations” where you stay in town and explore your city, work on home projects as a family, or cook meals and eat them together will give you the time to bond. It’s a great way for you to get closer to them and make up for lost time because of work.
Related: Family Bonding- 8 Things You Can Do
In this age of 24/7 connectivity and information overload, it’s not easy to find the time and mental energy to focus on your family and career.
However, sticking to a schedule and unplugging from your digital devices can help you stay in the moment. Subsequently, improving your personal and professional lives.
