Four Easy Tips For Finding Balance Between Your Professional And Personal Life

It’s the never-ending conundrum we read so much about, celebrities get sick of being asked about, and women especially are forever trying to figure out – that work/life balance. While our jobs should ideally be something that we enjoy and a way to bring in that needed income, they should not take over our lives. Too much of anything can be a bad thing, which is why balance is key to enjoying every aspect of our lifestyles. If you feel that you are no longer “working to live” but instead are “living to work.” It may be time to take some steps to re-balance your work and personal lives.

Having a busy schedule doesn’t have to be a reason not to find that balance, either. There are some easy and effective ways you can implement a better workflow and healthy mindset with the following four tips:

Unplug From Digital Devices

We have evolved into a society that is plugged in 24/7/365. You can check your work emails while on line at the grocery store, get the latest news headlines on your tablet while making dinner and then spend the evening texting with friends. While this technology can be amazing, it can also mean we never get any downtime. Give yourself permission to unplug now and then, and find the best moments in your day where you don’t feel it will be sacrificing anything important.

Reading a book before bed instead of scrolling through Twitter, taking 20 minutes out of your day to spend outside without looking at a screen, and putting your phone elsewhere while you are eating are simple ways to get a daily dose of time away from digital devices. While there is no major study suggesting unplugging can directly impact your health, choosing to interact with people face-to-face, taking time out to meditate, and not being dependent on that device every minute can help us feel like we are feeding an addiction.

Look to Artificial Intelligence for Help

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more commonplace, you can use this emerging technology to help keep your life more streamlined and organized. Qualcomm’s AI mobile platforms feature machine learning that lets our devices “learn” what we are doing and work more efficiently. This, in turn, can help our smartphones to be more productive and less complicated for us to use.

Instead of looking at our smartphones as an anonymous handheld computer, the AI platforms will help our devices to get to know our behaviors and patterns so they can anticipate our needs. From more battery-efficient performance to smart camera recognition and more, AI can simplify our lives when it comes to our devices and free up needed time for other things.

Don’t Leave All of the Fun for the Weekend

It can be very easy to fall into the mindset that any and all fun activities will take place on the weekend. However, in order to break up your work schedule a bit and give yourself something to look forward to, try to schedule at least one fun activity or social event during the week, wherever possible. This can be anything from going to an early dinner on Tuesday night with your BFF followed by a movie, to heading out to look at holiday lights with your family on Thursday evening.

Medical experts even suggest that socializing on a regular basis can boost brain health and lower your risk of dementia. Well if actively choosing to have fun with friends is just what the doctor ordered, who are we to argue with that!

Create a Daily Routine

Before you panic and think to yourself, “I’m just not an organized person!”, don’t worry, there’s an app for that. Seriously, there are so many great ways to organize every detail of your life, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Type A personality or a free-spirited spontaneous creative type when it comes to creating a routine. Getting organized can be as simple as putting things into your personal calendar or in a calendar app like CloudCal like coffee with a friend or major holiday plans.

Creative Live has compiled a list of 10 best productivity apps to stay organized, which can help you create a daily routine. The apps include social media, fitness, reading, and productivity platforms, perfect for almost every aspect of your life.

Balancing work and your personal life will probably not happen overnight, but using these steps as a starting point, you will be well on your way to feeling more happy and relaxed.