At the start of your career, you might want to work as much as you can. However, it is important to retain a work-life balance. The earlier in your career that you can manage this balance, the better. If you overwork yourself, you will burn out and you might be exploited when others see how you overwork yourself. Here are some points to help you secure your work-life balance.
How do you find a work-life balance?
Learn to say no and how to how set boundaries. You need to have some rules on how to act at work and in your private life. These rules should be about what you like, do not like, will allow, and will not tolerate. Your boundaries will help you prioritise your work-life balance and ultimately live a balanced life. When you respect and honour your boundaries, others will too.
Here are some focus points to help you set boundaries:
- How many hours do you want to work?
Think about your week and what you need to do to have a balanced life.
- Under what circumstances are you willing to work overtime?
You must be accommodating so work out what will it take for you to agree to work overtime?
- What people, except the boss, will you take orders from?
Be very careful from whom you accept tasks and orders.
- How much work is ok for you to be doing in the evenings and on weekends?
You must decide how much of your free time you would sacrifice for work.
- What about socialising at work?
- Is it appropriate to date a colleague?
- How much socialising at work do you want to be part of?
- Would you drink alcohol at a work function?
After reading these pointers, I am sure that you can think of several more that you need to consider when you are establishing a healthy work-life balance.
