“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” —Michael Altshuler.

Do you feel like all you do is work? Thanks to the work-from-home culture it has become difficult to avoid the work-life blur. Because of technology, workers are accessible today throughout. And the fear of losing the job just adds to the long hours. How one maintains or better the work-life balance is a common question amongst working professionals. Let us look at some practical tips on how you can maintain a work-life balance.

1. Practice being there for yourself

The major reason we always find ourselves working is that we are always self-criticizing and hard on ourselves for not doing enough or the best. It is essential to be kind to yourself to create a work-life balance. Because only when you are kind to yourself will you understand that work is part of your life and not your life and that you need some time to take care of yourself.

2. Communicate and respect your boundaries

Communicating that you are not okay is essential to have clear boundaries. This will help you structure your life better. You can plan your days with things that you like or are more important. Setting boundaries will help you preserve mental health. This will allow you to manage stress well and overcome the need to be constantly present at work.

3. Let go of the need to be perfect.

As the saying goes, perfectionism shouldn’t come in the way of progress. You might think that I want to excel at work and that perfectionism seems like the best pathway, but in reality, it creates a barrier in your head. Instead, the pursuit is to be excellent without any ideal. The need to be perfect makes you obsess over your mistakes and brings negative consequences. The best way is to embrace your limits and give your best shot.

4. It’s okay to say no

One of the most crucial aspect in creating a work life balance is learning to say no! But sadly it is termed as one of the toughest hard skill for a working professional. Start by assessing how your typical day at work is and what are the usual demands. Then prioritize and understand what you’d like to have on your plate. Saying no to things that are less important frees up your mind space.

5. Take brakes

How often it has been that your preferred taking your lunch to your desk just because you had to meet the deadline? And ended up working late anyway. Taking the break that you deserved would have instead boosted your confidence and would have reduced stress. Make sure you take breaks amidst your work. This would stall your progress but would expedite it.

6. Take small steps for your well-being

Often in the race of getting things done at work, we forget our own well being. We forget to do even the bare minimum for ourselves. Like something as basic as drinking 8 glasses of water a day. The goal is to not get too overwhelmed with work that you are not even willing to take small steps for yourself like exercising, meditating or having a proper meal.

7. Unplug

Technology has truly helped in ways that we cant forget. It has made work easier and has helped us in many ways. But along with this it has also brought in the expectation of constant accessibility. Most of the employees agree when we say that the work day doesn’t just seem to end. For eg: you are done with today’s work but the messages of what’s to be done the next day keep popping on your phone and this creates a undercurrent of stress. The best way to cope with this is to put your foot down and be present in the moment. Prioritize what feels important to you. Like if attending your daughter’s choir is important, don’t let the emails get in the way. By not reacting to the work notifications, you build resilience.

8. Spend time with your loved ones

Spending time with your loved ones is the biggest antidote to work stress and the constant need to be present for it. Rather than spending all your time on work until you feel drained and satisfied, identify what makes you truly happy and content. Or best spend time with your near and dear ones. Most working professionals except that their biggest regret is not being able to spend enough time with their loved ones because work takes over. It’s high time that we change this.