IN BALANCE

inBalance

At the Core

How to strike a work-life balance that keeps you centered.

AN APPLE A DAY

It may or may not keep the doctor away, but regular routines and taking time for self-care are two habits beneficial to maintaining a healthy work/life balance. With technology where it is today, striking a work-life balance is tough, especially if you love your job. We are almost always plugged in and quickly monopolized by email, phone calls and even social media. Although in the past, many people lived by the “work hard now, play hard later” mentality, with advances in technology, many people—especially millennials—aim to do both simultaneously. They seek work-life integration through careers that are adaptable to change. They want flexibly with schedules and freedom to travel, have kids or become a triathlete now, not later.

Work-life balance. Work-life integration. However you refer to it, it becomes a concentrated effort to achieve successful boundaries. With the lines between work life and real life now constantly blurred, the inability to separate the two can slowly sneak up on us. Without any priorities defined, too much is crammed into a daily routine, and nothing gets done well. Career burnout is often the result, or worse yet, mental and physical fatigue induced by stress, poor health and lack of sleep.

feeling fruity?

It's time to make some changes.

Dream bigbut Define Current Priorities

Know what your big picture plans are for your life, and then consider life at the moment. Priorities can change over time without affecting your big picture plans. Define goals annually and be specific. For example, your goals this year might be to 1) Be home every night for a family dinner. 2) Hit a specific sales goal within the next two quarters. 3) Train for and complete a marathon. 4) Volunteer twice a month with a local organization.

Say No

Making a few hard choices up front makes future "no's" a lot more natural and freeing.

and Lose the Guilt Now that you have your goals for the year, remove any stressors that are causing you to potentially not obtain them. Having your priorities defined makes it easier to say no to things that don’t work towards accomplishing those specific goals. Remember, saying no to something now doesn’t mean there won’t be time for it later.

CREATE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

COMMUNICATE WORK BOUNDARIES AND UNPLUG SCHEDULE SELF CARE AND NEVER MISS IT

Now that you know your priorities, you can better manage your time. Set up a schedule and task list daily for what needs to happen to meet your goals. If you need to run four days a week—put it on your calendar. That nightly dinner is at 6 pm, so that’s another easy addition. How many sales calls must you make daily to work towards that goal? Block your time out accordingly. When those time slots are done, be done. It’s time to focus elsewhere. Defining work boundaries is only part of the equation. You must communicate them to your coworkers. If you have to be home for dinner at 6, and it takes 25 minutes to get there, then that 5:30 meeting can’t happen. Decline and offer up another time you are available—or offer to discuss on your commute home. When you arrive home, put the smartphone away and only check it during a specified time. Let your coworkers know the times you will be available, perhaps even share your calendar, and stand firm to your rules. When life gets hectic, usually the first thing we skip is our workout, meditation or “me- time.” No matter what that time consists of, don’t skip it. Thirty minutes of that time can really make a difference on how you handle everything else that comes your way that day.

PINK YOUR RIDE

JOIN OUR FIGHT y

WELLNESS

is being the best version of yourself. Setting expectations for what matters most helps you focus on balancing the right things and forgetting the rest.

BUILD A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM AND ASK FOR HELP

Life gets tough, and tough times call for support. Being truly present in the various aspects of life and developing meaningful relationships with spouses, co-workers, family and friends will create the strong support system you need to accomplish your goals, especially when things get difficult. Try to communicate stressful situations before they happen and set expectations ahead of time.

Even though their judgment isn’t always amazing, their healthcare is.

Healthcare as amazing as their potential

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