How Do You Achieve Perfect Work-Life Balance?

How to achieve the best work-life balance is, of course, one of the eternal questions and one that may remain elusive for decades to come. As 2016 draws to a close, I started to consider starting my own business and found myself asking if I could I reduce my hours, my commuting, my efficiency and my work-life balance?

I thought “Great! I can work when I want to and do all those things that I’ve wanted to do at a time that suits me.” Such as going to the gym when it’s quiet, practice those rusty jazz piano fingers. As I am sat in Salamanca tidying up my inbox and getting ready to hit 2017 with a bang, it did make me wonder when do we ever get time to stop, relax and just breathe!

4 Quick Steps To A Perfect Work-Life Balance

So, for this short blog post – it is New Year’s Eve after all (which kinda demonstrates what I’ve just said about how I need to improve my work-life balance!) I’ve identified three quick areas which may help you improve your own work-life balance.

So before Big Ben strikes midnight, before the Champagne corks fly, before the fireworks light up the skies and before Jools Holland gets his Hootenanny out, let’s lay out a few resolutions for the next year.

Availability

If any of you have my business cards, you will know I love MOO.  They are super simple to use, and I can order more of the same or new and improved business cards as and when I need them. Quite serendipitously, it was while looking at their website, that I found this great blog: 5 self-care habits to get into if you work from home. It’s defintootely worth checking out before Hootenanny!

Time

My challenge sometimes is starting on a project or a piece of work and just keep going and going. I often find myself losing track of time. It isn’t until Jess, my cat comes and sits on my keyboard and won’t move until she has been fed that I realise I was on a roll! And here’s me thinking I was the boss!

I do believe 99% of the time that how you are dressed does affect your productivity. Sitting in PJ’s to perform your work doesn’t reflect your own image and what you are trying to achieve. That said, I’m not quite sure that putting on my gym kit is entirely on my radar yet!  I do, however, firmly believe if you smile when you are on the phone your caller can hear it – that is said for how you dress too (especially if you use Facetime!).

Turn Downtime Into Uptime!

Staying with the subject of time, it’s great to say that you don’t have a daily commute when you look at the M27 or M3 on a daily basis. When I do commute to London, it does give me time to reflect on the day/week. This is an excellent way of turning a negative into a positive by becoming more efficient. Reflection time allows me to get my head in order before I get into the office and start the day.

Technology

The last point – get geeky – I think most of you know I have the geek gene, but I do like to help with the little things that will make a small businesses life easier.

So this is me, Kate Underwood signing off for 2016. I do hope that whatever you are doing you have fun and maybe a cheeky glass of bubbly… or two.!

Happy New Year, and I look forward to working with you in 2017 with all of us having found a bit more work-life balance.