3 Tips for Maintaining Work-Life Balance as a Freelancer

It's the weekend! You ought to be out enjoying the sunshine, yet here you are still up and working.

Many of us equate long working hours to productivity. It has become a badge - a status symbol - there are even hashtags and selfies to prove it!

There's nothing wrong with working the odd Saturday or pulling a once-off all-nighter to finish a project but working all day, every day is a different matter altogether.  And these days, many have blurred the lines between life and work - to serious consequences.

Yes, the struggle is real when it comes to striking a healthy balance between life and work. So how does a freelancer acquire and maintain that balance? Here's how:

1. Set aside time for yourself and for your loved ones.

Just as it's important to set specific times for work, it's also vital to schedule some time for yourself and your family - and you need to follow through. This breather, if you will, allows you to recharge, regenerate and refocus. 

Need more convincing? Here are some benefits that might get you to reconsider:

• Happiness and contentment (Yes, there are studies that back this up!)
• Deeper connection with family and loved ones
• More resistance to stress
• Improved concentration
• Increased productivity

Whether you take a few minutes stroll around the block, get a cup of latte at your favorite cafe, or take your kids to the park, it's important to always set aside some time to do something that makes you happy. Just unplug.

Remember, striking a balance isn't about building an impenetrable wall between life and work, but finding ways to connect and merge the two.

2. Break projects into smaller tasks - and work one task at a time.

According to MIT neuroscientist, Earl Miller, human brains are "not wired to multitask well... when people think they're multitasking, they're actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly. And every time they do, there's a cognitive cost." Scary, isn't it? One consequence is that it lowers efficiency and quality of work. To combat this, break up your big tasks into chunk-size pieces and work on one task at a time. By doing so, you'll have a better chance of doing it right the first time.

 

"Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices." - Betsy Jacobson

 

3. Schedule your week in advance

To avoid getting overworked, set aside some time to plan your week. List down everything that you need to get done and schedule these activities per day. You can use apps such as Google Calendar or Wunderlist, or even an old-fashioned notebook, but make sure to jot all your activities down. When you plan your week in advance, you'll have a better chance of managing your time and following through your schedule.

Having the freedom to work as a freelancer is pretty awesome - you get to work at your own time and pace - but without setting up boundaries you can lose that freedom in no time.

With just a few tweaks to your daily routine, you can master the art of a healthy work-life balance. Get to it!

 

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