In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, most of us are hustling through a hectic day that sees us juggle between demands at home and pressures at work. When one is dealing with so much in one's daily life, setting a structure to ease through it holds the key to effective multitasking. In order to strike a work-life balance, below is a seamless guide with easily embraceable practices at different points in a day:
- Morning Motivation - Today, most of us tend to reach out for our phones as soon as we wake up and expose ourselves to pending messages and emails that may evoke a feeling of stress and ruin our morning. Instead, set a traditional alarm if need be and refrain from checking your phone first thing in the morning.
Begin your day with a 5-10 minute meditation session in complete silence. By meditation, I am not suggesting an elaborate routine, but even a simple deep breathing exercise that soothes your senses and helps you begin the day on a calm note will suffice.
The core focus of this practice, especially right at the beginning of your day is to be at peace with oneself as you inhale positive thoughts and beliefs. Conversely, while exhaling, expel all negativity from your system. You could sit cross-legged or in any position that lets you keep your spine erect. Breathing deeply will help you feel more focused and at ease. You can also use Lavender aroma oil to induce a calm feeling and improve your focus and clarity of thought.
- Mid-morning Orientation- After a sumptuous breakfast, when you brace yourself to take on the day, the most important thing to remember is that discipline is key to effective multitasking. After reaching work, you may feel burdened at first with the number of tasks to planned throughout the day. Take stock of the tasks by creating a to-do-list with timelines for each of them. You could also color code them in the order of priority. As you go about achieving each task and tick off tasks from the list, the day would be over before you realize it and would also be a highly productive one for you.
- Afternoon Bonds - Your lunch break is one of the best times to feel relaxed and also bring you closer to your colleagues, with whom you spend the majority of waking hours. Therefore, your productivity is also enhanced when you share a great camaraderie with them.
Use this lunch-break wisely with your co-workers. Put your phones aside and sit together to share your nutritious, wholesome meals, to strengthen the bond. “Lunch Break” is also the time to plan some extracurricular, i.e. ‘team building’ activities periodically. These 20-30 minutes at the workplace to not only enhance the rapport between colleagues and fuel their creativity but also combat the sluggishness that tends to creep in post lunch. A workforce where people share a good rapport with each other ensures a happy environment in the company. It also helps strengthen collective consciousness by aligning their energies.
- Late-Afternoon Alleviation- It’s 5 pm, and do you feel your energy levels are dropping? Then recharge yourself with a 2-minute meditation break. Rub some ylang-ylang oil or citrus oil on your wrist and temple for an instantly relaxing and rejuvenating effect.
- Rejuvenation at Dusk- Once you are home, devote some time to a revitalizing activity with your loved ones. Steer away from the television, phone and other electronic gadgets. Instead, go for a swim or a walk together. If you prefer something indoors, play a board game or cards. This helps you boost your happy hormone and release the pent-up energy of the day while simultaneously fortifying the bond with your dear ones.
- Midnight Musings - You have practically devoted most of your day to other things and people, so now it is recommended that you give priority to yourself at the end of it. 30-40 minutes before calling it a night, sit in silence and relax your entire being. Play some soft instrumental music and review your day. An in-depth introspection is essential, to not only analyze the stressful activities of the day and to figure out how you could have done them differently, but to also increase your self-awareness and clarity of thought.
The sooner you embrace this guide, the better it is for your overall well-being. Bear in mind that once certain things and techniques become a part of your daily routine, they will come naturally to you without having to make any significant effort. Striking that ideal work-life balance will subsequently become much your way of life.
These views expressed in this article are the author’s own and don’t reflect that of People Matters.