If you’re a workaholic, you may not even read through this entire article: you’ll go right back to that work-related task you were in the middle of. That’s you: long hours at the office with everything else falling by the wayside. But there’s more to life than work. Here are some strategies to help you gain better balance, and hopefully, greater happiness.
Are you ambitious and driven, or a workaholic? When work becomes a priority at the expense of everything else; when you put in long hours and can think and talk of nothing but work… chances are you’re a workaholic. If you’re looking for a change, the first thing to understand is that you don’t have to stop being a hard worker, striving to complete your projects to the best of your abilities. Changing your work-centric ways only means a shift in your approach, in which you make your personal life as important to you as your work.
Keep the boundaries between your work life and home life clear
This means putting your BlackBerry away when you’re at home. It also means not carrying home tons of work to finish on your personal time. Establish a reasonable hour for you to leave work. If you need to, start by leaving a half-hour earlier week after week until you reach that reasonable time — given that it might be difficult for you to suddenly switch your office departure from midnight to 7 p.m., for example.
Improve your eating habits
Workaholics often skip meals, or eat at their desks while continuing to work, which can help pack on the pounds. Take the time, even if it’s just 20 minutes, to get away from your desk and enjoy a proper meal, at a reasonable time. Savour your meal, rather than mindlessly wolfing it down as you type away on your computer. The benefit? You’ll have more energy and improved overall well-being.
Work on improving your home life
Invest as much time and effort as you do on the job to improving the life you have at home. Rather than fretting about what’s going on in your industry and the emails you aren’t reading the moment they come through, pour your energy into reconnecting with your kids and husband, or seeing the friends you’ve been neglecting.
Develop good time-management habits
You’ll likely stress less about what you’re leaving behind at 5 p.m. if you’ve accomplished many things during your day. Consider taking a time-management course so you can learn how to run your day as efficiently as possible. The more you get done, the easier you’ll find it to cut out and head home come day’s end — and the less you’ll stress about your workload.
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