Work/Life Balance

By Donna Strauss, ACP

As paralegals, we take our work very seriously and tend to take it home with us, either physically on our smartphones and/or briefcases, or mentally as we continue to think about work long into the evening.   In order to keep healthy, we must maintain a good work/life balance.   Trying to juggle a healthy balance is difficult.  Many of us not only work full-time, but take classes to better our career, volunteer with organizations close to our heart, raise children alone or with a spouse, and some even work a second job to make ends meet.

WebMD.com has an article on “5 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance” written by Jen Uscher.  http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/protect-health-13/balance-life   I would like to share those five tips with you to help bring more balance into your life:

1. “Build downtime into your schedule.”  One thing I am guilty of NOT doing is scheduling downtime.  I often talk about getting together with a friend or going to a movie with family, but then it never seems to happen.  If it is scheduled into our day, there is a better chance that we will actually do it.
2. “Drop activities that sap your time or energy.”  Since many of us have billable hours, it is doubtful we spend much time at work socializing or visiting social media sites.  At home, we can try to spend less time in front of the TV or computer and try to focus more on family activities like game nights or personal activities like reading a good book (while doing the laundry!).
3. “Rethink your errands.”  Uscher writes about outsourcing your errands to others – hire someone to mow the lawn or pick up your dry cleaning; order groceries or stamps online.  Another suggestion she makes is trading services with friends, such as gardening, babysitting services, wrapping gifts, or cooking.  I don’t know about you, but my friends are just as busy as me and have no energy to even think about what kind of trading we could do!  However, next time I run to the mall, I may ask my friend if she needs anything.  Or if I have a free evening, I may ask my friend if she needs a sitter.  I could kill two birds with one stone by reading a good book while watching her kids!
4. “Get moving.”  Ah, exercise.  If only I had the time.  Oh, but wait, I DO have the time if I MAKE the time!  I just need to schedule it in my planner and stick to it.  I could even read a good book while walking on the treadmill at the gym (there I go killing two birds with one stone again!).   We all know how important exercise is to our health and how exercise helps us to be more alert, so what’s stopping us? 
5. “Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.”  Try to squeeze in a break in your day and take a short walk to recharge your batteries.  Plan to leave work a little early one day a week and do something you enjoy – like going to the spa, beating the rush-hour traffic home so you have extra time to cook a nice dinner, meet a friend for a drink – just do something for yourself.  You deserve it!