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5 Work-life Balance Tips For Working Women Who Want To Enjoy The Summer

by Nukhba Khan

Feel summer is passing by so quickly, and you are just not getting the opportunity to get enough time outside? And everyone around you is somehow posting fun summer pics non-stop on social media, and you just wish you had their life. But you are stuck in front of the laptop with an endless list of things to get done.

Let me first tell you that you are not alone in feeling the pain. Many do. But let me tell you an even more important truth: you can absolutely have some fun in the sun. You just have to do a couple of things differently to manage your workload a little better. Here are some essential work-life balance tips that you need to implement right away.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE TIP #1

Organize, Plan, Organize

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of organization to free up more time for you to enjoy the summer.

Yes, this is an obvious tip, yet many of us struggle to manage our workload, especially in the summer months when the motivation to work is low. And that is why it's critical to be on top of your calendar and have everything that needs to get done penciled in. Detailed day-to-day planning can help you stay laser-focused on all the essential things that need to get done and will allow you to get out of work as soon as possible in the summer.

The organization also helps you to better manage your time as well. Once you know what exactly you need to get done, then you can

1. Know precisely how much time you can spend on each task, helping you stay laser-focused.

2. Understand what will need to be delegated.

3. Know exactly when you need to push back and say no.

And all these will help you get through any summer season without drowning in your workload.

Another valuable bonus tip to help you further plan is to schedule your most challenging task of the day first. Yes, the ones you want to avoid and push for tomorrow. Why? Because once you get done with the most difficult item on your to-do list, the rest of the things will be a breeze. Plus, it will kick your motivation up a notch to get things done quickly, and you'll get to be outside doing the things you love in summer sooner rather than later.

Once you have nailed organizing your 5-day work week, try and see if you can manage your work to be done in a 4-day workweek. Yes, I am serious. It's absolutely doable if you don't have a super intense or peak season at work during the summers. And then you can take your personal days to have extended weekend summer days. Wouldn't that be truly amazing? You got to try it to know it. Magic only happens when you push your limits ;)

WORK-LIFE BALANCE TIP #2

Boundaries to help you Clock Out

Switching off from work after work is done, both physically and mentally, is not just crucial for the summer season but for your overall well-being all year round. This practice of clocking out after office hours is guaranteed to add a new color to your life. So why not, right?!

Summer is a great time to build the habit to clock out after work because you have a fantastic incentive to reclaim the last few hours of the sunny days.

But to be effective in clocking out daily and on weekends, you need to set healthy boundaries.

And here are some tips to do that:

1. Implement time blocks. This is where you have dedicated time to do focus work. Now I know some work cultures are overloaded with meetings, and it is hard to find even 30 minutes to sit still and get stuff done. So you have two options, see which one works best for you.

Let your manager and your team know that you are trying out a new practice to help with your productivity. For example, tell your coworkers that you are setting 2 hours a day for dedicated work time. You are looking for their support to help you implement this by not setting work meetings during that time if possible.

If that is a humanly impossible request to ask your team.

Then, you can start work slightly earlier. And find some time first thing in the morning to get things done. And then try to block off another daily hour of dedicated work time on your calendar so everyone can see you are unavailable at that time.

2. Another effective boundary to help you switch off work effectively is making a solid commitment to not check your work emails or phone past your clock-out hour. If you fear missing out or worry that you will look like a slacker on the team by not staying connected, it is time to change your thinking. Tell yourself you work with adults, and if they had a problem with your work, they would let you know. If they haven't told you that there is a problem with your workload or contributions, guess what you are not slacking off, and you deserve to get out in the summer sun and celebrate that.

Summer is a great time to establish work-life boundaries. Like I said before, there is a great incentive to push you, i.e., the warm sunny evenings and weekends.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE TIP #3

Limit time-wasting activities and people.

This means that you have to take a highly detailed account of how you currently spend your time. The best way to do this is to do a time audit for 2 - 3 days. Write down each and every detail, yes, and that includes how long your shower time is and social media scrolling time. This time audit will help reveal how much time you are spending on your priorities and non-priority stuff.

You can then decide which activities and people need to be trimmed from your daily life to allow you to be more productive doing the things that are important for you. Focusing on what's important for you is not selfish; it's self-care!

WORK-LIFE BALANCE TIP #4

Plan the after-work summer activity

You have to start planning out your summer evening and weekend activities in advance. If you have something planned out, then you are more than likely to do it. Also, planning some fun time with family and friends can help you stay accountable to actually get off your work computer, step outside, and enjoy your summer days.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE TIP #5

Keep your priorities in life top of mind.

First, you have to understand what your priorities are. So take a second to list all the important things for you in your life or even some things you want to do in the summer. Then once a week, perhaps on Sunday night, do a check-in to see how well you spent your time on your key priorities that week. And then, create an even better plan or intention of how you can stay true to your priorities the following week.

Final Thoughts:

Remember, just like crash diets are ineffective, you have to start small and build your work-life balance habits for best results. And remember that work-life balance is all about understanding the value of time and prioritization. Keep reminding yourself that you have to do some pre-work, i.e., build better habits, to achieve a sweet balance in your life. A type of work-life harmony that allows you to enjoy your summer evenings and weekends as a normal part of your life and not something you wish you had.

P.S. If you are looking for guided steps on how to show up at work more relaxed and happy, then be sure to check out this free resource: 5-Step Guide to Become a Happier You at Work.

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