Sales Strategy
Seven Ways To Achieve Work/Life Balance September 02, 2015 (1 comment)
Seattle, WA—Technology was supposed to help us get more done in less time, but with the advent of cell phones, PDAs, and smartphones, many people now spend more time than ever on work. In a blog for Geekwire, author Matt Heinz says that balance—time away from work—is important and taking time away from work can actually help you be more productive at work.
Heinz, president of Redmond, WA-based Heinz Marketing, suggests seven small changes that can make a big difference. (Editor’s note: Retailers may have to adjust his suggested times according to store schedule.) Here is an excerpt:
1. Take Two Evenings A Week Off. Heinz suggests leaving work as close to 5 p.m. as possible on Tuesday and Thursday and turning off all devices and work until the next morning. He says having that deadline helps you focus on cleaning your plate and preparing for the next day, rather than leaving things to do later.
2. Take A Lunch Break. “At least two or three times a week, break for lunch, get away from your desk, leave the building if possible, and separate yourself from the day’s immediate priorities,” says Heinz. Use the time to either think about something you need to focus on without interruptions, or to catch up with people outside of your office [store] to lunch with and learn from.
3. Schedule Time Off And Stick To It. “You can’t work all the time. Even if you love it, even if parts of your business feel like fun, you have to step away. This includes scheduling real vacation time. Block time well in advance, book tickets and hotels, and get away,” writes Heinz. He suggests also doing a 24-hour turnoff each weekend.
4. Exercise And Eat Better. Make time for this, he says.
5. Find A Hobby. Heinz took up woodworking, despite his self-confessed lack of talent at it. But it gives him something to focus on (like not losing a finger, he says). He recommends finding something you are excited about, preferably that doesn’t include a screen, and engaging in it on a regular basis. Make commitments with other people so you stick with it.
6. Prepare For Tomorrow Before You Leave Today. “Dedicate 15 minutes at the end of your day to prepare for tomorrow. Assess what was completed today, what remains, what new priorities may have been added to your plate, and write a quick list of the top three to five things that need to happen tomorrow. Additionally designate the one most important thing you need to accomplish, which will be what you do first when you get in,” he writes. “This frees your mind to focus on whatever you need to that evening, without worrying about how to make your next day (or at least the next morning) more efficient.”
7. Leave Work For Tomorrow. You can’t get everything done today, he says, so leave something for tomorrow and take time to be with your family, watch a ballgame, get some exercise and enough sleep. You need balance— not just for yourself and your family, he says, but to make tomorrow a more productive day as well.
Read Heinz’s complete work/life balance blog here.
Top image: ask.metafilter.com