1. E-mail works up till six
"You work - there's no time to live, you do not work - there is no money for life." This old joke is well known to everyone and precisely reflects today's reality of office life. But it's true - professional duties are so closely intertwined with our lives that not to think about reports and meetings at home or, worse, on holiday becomes more difficult. This is fundamentally the wrong approach.
But there is still a way out - you can take on board the advice of famous businessmen who face the need to balance work and personal life almost daily. So, in order not to drown in a series of urgent important matters and not to lose all friends, try to follow the following rules:
First of all, learn to close the mail together with the end of the work day. This will help to switch and at least in the evening hours not to think about deadlines. In foreign publications, this is sometimes called "respect for one's own borders." Think about what you can do for yourself, instead of endlessly checking e-mail. Believe me, the most pressing business will wait until morning and even until Monday. Of course, situations are different, but in most cases this scheme works.
If you are forced to work with the mail in the evenings, because you simply do not have time to react to all incoming messages, take for a rule the principle of CEO Zappos Tony Neck - answer ten yesterday's letters at the beginning of a new day, before a cup of coffee or planning tasks. So you can avoid increasing the number of unreached correspondence and free up more time for personal affairs in the evenings.
2. Need a hand
A person can not be successful on alone. You will, sooner or later, need the help of others. This is absolutely normal. This is what thinks Randy Zuckerberg, the sister of Mark Zuckerberg, who is the development director and spokesperson for Facebook.
She is sure that the secret of the balance between work and personal life lies precisely in the person's environment and his willingness to ask for help or to easily delegate tasks. Therefore, the next time, struggling with the temptation to stay at work longer for the sake of a supercomplex project, think about whether this is really what you need here and now.
3. "Gray" zones
Always, even despite the tight schedule of meetings or negotiations, leave time for a respite. You have the right to a full break and a small rest during the working day.
This principle is guided by the CEO of LinkedIn Jeff Weiner, filling out his diary. Its "buffers", or "gray" zones, can be from 90 minutes to 2 hours a day. Such an approach helps to gather your thoughts and always remain in good shape.
4. The engine of progress
To find a balance, say "yes" to modern technologies and use them safely in order to win your free time, despite the whirl of events. Synchronize your notes with Evernote or Google Drive, save interesting web pages using special applications such as Pocket, Readability or Instapaper, and go back to reading them in traffic jams, metro, planes, etc. In other words, translate into electronic format everything that is possible. This will significantly save such a limited time resource. But be careful - do not dive into your smartphones and other gadgets too deep.
5. High goals
Randy Zuckerberg also advises anyone who is interested in the issues of balance between work and personal life, stop setting too high goals for themselves every day. Strive for success, of course, it is necessary and worth it, but with weekends and holidays.
You simply can not physically reach new heights from Monday to Friday. Therefore, to calm days it should be treated as a well-deserved rest, and not a loss. And yes, forget about perfectionism. It is good only in selected cases.
6. Polite refusal
To be able to say "no" is also an art that, unfortunately, is not mastered by everyone. But, according to Donald Trump, it is timely rejection of an unnecessary offer or cooperation will help keep your nerves and time. Know your measure, and if you want to throw everything right now and go for a walk, drop it. Forcing yourself to work when you are not able to do it, good results can not be achieved.
7. Procrastination? No, I have not heard
To have more free time in the evening, be as effective as possible during the day, during working hours, and discard any manifestations of laziness. Turn off social networks, shorten the time of smoke breaks, and the result will not be long in coming. A good solution is to divide large tasks into small ones. This will facilitate planning and protect you from stress.
In fact, more and more businessmen and strong men of the world tend to think that the notorious balance between work and personal life does not exist at all, and we ourselves establish the limits of what is permissible. Perhaps this is true, because each of us is the smith of his own happiness. Feeling tired from the heavy working rhythm, just stop and think what you want. So you correctly prioritize and you will find, at last, time for what was postponed so long in a long box.
