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Achieving work-life balance is a challenge for most working professionals. But the challenge gets even more daunting for the C-suite executives. There is never enough time for your personal life as meetings, conferences, and work calls seem to keep you occupied at all times. You may need to travel a lot as a part of your job. Strategic decisions, long days, and work stress can take a toll on your health. There are good chances that your family life is haywire, and social connections suffer too. Fortunately, you can reset your work-life balance as many successful CEOs do. But they have some tried and tested strategies that keep them on the right track. Let us share the secrets they swear by.
Define your own balance
When you think about work-life balance, you visualize happy professionals who spend an optimal number of hours at work and with family, get ample rest and follow their passions. But it isn’t as simple as it sounds, and the definition of balance differs for every person. If you look for a one-size-fits-all image, your life will never attain equilibrium. Some entrepreneurs can handle a 50 or 60 hours work week while others want more time to spend at home or with friends. The best approach is to find your own comfort level that works for you. CEOs do work hard, but they can kill the long hours by switching to smart work.
Learn from your mistakes
Even the most seasoned business leaders make mistakes, but what makes them different is that they learn from their mistakes. You may miss out on your kid’s sports day just because of an important meeting at work. To make things worse, you realize later that you could manage both by simply rescheduling the meeting. You are human, after all, and there’s no way you can avoid such mistakes altogether. Learning from your mistakes is all about setting new priorities on personal and professional fronts and sticking to them in the future. Resentment over missed experiences and opportunities will only make you feel worse, so steer clear of it.
Make conscious efforts to avoid a burnout
When you reach the top accolades, the risk of burnout gets higher, and it can topple your work-life balance even before you realize it. However, creating harmony between your personal needs and professional responsibilities can help you avoid feeling off-track despite the work pressure. Find your rhythm, and balance will come naturally. Being where you are, helps because distractions leave you nowhere. Focus on the kids and family when at home and forget about work. Similarly, your home shouldn’t be on your mind when you are amid an important work meeting or business conference.
Invest in personal development
Maintaining a good work-life balance gets a tad easier if you learn better ways to do things. It is only possible by keeping yourself at pace with the latest skills and technologies in the industry. The best way to do it is by investing in personal development. Be open to learning, regardless of the skills you have and the years you have been around in the industry. Joining an executive career coaching program is a good idea because it formalizes learning and development for CEOs. You get to know about real-life challenges that people in your position face and also identify creative ways to address them.
Get creative with your time
When it comes to achieving a work-life balance, nothing gets more crucial than effective time management. But the real secret lies in using your time creatively. For example, you could use commute time to have important conversations with the kids as you drop them at school. It will be easy to catch up with all that you may have missed at the dinner table. If you miss exercise, consider walking to the office if it isn’t too far away. You may cook with your partner on the weekends and keep the spark alive, even as you miss spending time with them on the weekdays. Remember that it isn’t about the quantity but the quality of the time you spend with your loved ones.
Prioritize health and well-being
The most important advice that CEOs have for fellow business leaders is to prioritize health and well-being. If you are fit and healthy, you will be able to bring harmony to your personal and professional life. You end up doing more in less time, and spending a couple of hours more on tasks at hand doesn’t hurt because your energy levels are high. Investing in self-care is the best place to start. Pick the basics like eating well, exercising every day, meditating, getting enough sleep, and doing an activity you enjoy every weekend. Although these sound easy, you will probably have to make an effort for them, but it is worthwhile. Take a break when you can, regardless of packed schedules and domestic responsibilities. Spending time alone is as important as being with your partner, friends, and kids.
Make work-life balance the core of your company’s culture
Work-life balance matters as much for your janitorial staff as it does for you. So it is vital to make it the core of your company’s culture. Let people know that the business wants them to spend time with their families. Make empathy a part of your policies and give people an opportunity to be with their loved ones when they need to. Consider flexibility in scheduling tasks, although you should have a clear stance on productivity. You will end up with a happier team that delivers beyond expectations. Further, a positive work culture boosts employee retention and loyalty which matter a lot for organizations. When people stay and businesses grow, leaders have to spend less time supervising them.
These simple work-life balance secrets are ones that everyone knows. But they fail to implement them as a part of their routine. Just take the first step to integrate them into your busy life, and you can be as happy and successful as the CEOs who share them from their first-hand experiences.
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