Here are some tips on how you can maintain your new-found momentum and make sure you continue to enjoy your improved work/family balance.
Keep your boundaries defined. If you have enhanced the boundaries between work and family, make sure to keep these as rigid as you can. Some people look to make evenings devoted family time. Other people make the weekend a work-free parts of their schedule. Try to resist the urge to let work intrude on these times to choose. It’s easy to make a “one time” exception that soon results in work creeping back and disrupting things.
Be proactive about your email inbox. People in a traditional corporate job setting receive an average of 112 emails each day. Managing your inbox can be full time job if you let it, so take steps to make sure you are getting your work done each day. If your job will allow extended periods away from your email, establish set times when you will review your email.
Keep vacations work-free. While a late evening returning email or finishing a report may be necessary during a regular work week, do your best to make vacations a work-free zone. Studies have shown that taking time off for a true break normally results in people bringing renewed energy and innovative ideas back to work. Checking emails each and reviewing documents during a vacation never allows for the shift in focus away from the office that is the big benefit of time off.
Block out time for short-term planning. Determine if the morning or evening is the best time to focus and set aside 20 minutes to identify your top three priorities for the next two days. This allows you to think about the bigger picture and your broader goals when you are not in the middle of the inevitable distractions the crop up each day.
Making these changes stick takes continued focus. Keep at it and you’ll see the long-term benefits of your efforts take hold.
