Professional vs personal life balance

Most of us yearn for a work- life balance. We are overwhelmed by social media, much of information to preserve, amazingly longer work lists and pangs of responsibility as we fall desperately behind with our tasks. The perfect job we perform in our professional work, the more accountability we obtain. We end up doing pending works and spending almost all weekends receiving more work e-mails.

New stimulating projects lure us with opportunities which we do not want to lose. We may primarily feel thrilled to be occupied in new initiatives. However, our enthusiasm often disappears. We end up repenting the added work load we have taken on and spending yet another Sunday afternoon leaning over the computer.

In the scenario of higher education, academics and professional staff are ever more under pressure to meet their ever increasing targets. According to the Times Higher Education's global survey, university staff feel overloaded and work hard to create a healthy balance between personal and professional life.

Shift of focus on work rather than on mails

A professor , named Nalini, who has been an academic all her life, is obsessive about working in higher education and influencing others through her research. Nalini admitted that she is playing too many roles: being a mother, a wife, a leader, a researcher, a mentor, just to mention a few. She craved for a little more time for herself.

Nalini glanced at her e-mails a couple of times and she momentarily mentioned that she is checking e-mails dozens of times a day. This made her felt stressed and when she met a counselor , he suggested that she has to try a little experiment like responding to her e-mails no more than three times a day at fixed times. This would create more structure to her daily routine , uphold her time and allow her to focus on her projects.

After sometime, she accepted that this small experiment revolutionized her working life and helped her save at least an hour a day. She feels more focused, dynamic and productive. She is able to leave work earlier in the afternoon session and spend some valuable time with her family.

According to a study conducted by Stanford University, it is found that there is a link between productivity and interruptions. Researchers at Stanford found that frequently checking e-mails back and forth from task to task, resulted in less productivity as employees slowed down.

Learn to say No

Many professionals feel it awfully difficult to say no. We try to find the right form, words and situation, to be polite as we dislike losing opportunities. We worry about making the wrong decisions and facing the consequences, while doing so.

Saying no, however, is indispensable for our mental health and having many tasks to do affects our health. Whether it is in our personal or professional life, saying no is like gaining physical stamina. The more we practice it, the stronger we become.

If you don't want to do any work, ask yourself: 'What's the worst that can happen if I say no?' and ''What is the best that can happen if I say no?' If you plan your work and personal life tactically, you can create more balance between work, friendships, hobbies and introspection.

Be conscious about energy

Be aware that naturally our energy levels are high in the morning and we will be more productive. And keeping this in mind try to finish the complex tasks in the mornings, as we are more relaxed, energetic and creative in that time; hence our productivity is at its peak.

As post – lunch sessions are passive, its better avoid doing critical tasks during that time. But, evenings are comparatively productive than post lunch periods, hence, we can make use of that time for executing some creative tasks. Managing your energy wisely, you will be able to work smarter, and possibly leave the office earlier.

The pace of modern life is obviously fast. If we want to create a unique identity of our performance, we need to follow more balanced lifestyles. Introspection and retrospection is essential because it enables us to make some potential choices. We can spend quality time with our family by fixing boundaries to our electronic communications. Saying no to things and being associated with our natural energy levels will make us more productive. Following these measures in our personal and professional life results in a perfect balance for a healthier life.