Are you finding it harder to pull yourself away from work these days? In a recent Harvard study, 94% of professional workers reported working more than 50 hours per week, and nearly half said they worked more than 65 hours. Staying connected to technology and social media means that it is easier than ever to access work, and more difficult to get away from it. One minute you might be eating dinner at the table, and the next you find yourself taking business calls or texts. This has become the new normal. While it may seem like maintaining a healthy work-life balance is nearly impossible, it is extremely important for your health, your relationships, and your productivity.
Build Stronger Relationships
If you’re always working and stuck to a screen, then your personal relationships will take a hit. The same goes for your professional relationships. Focusing solely on work at the expense of building fulfilling relationships with both loved ones and customers is unhealthy for you, and might actually end up hurting your professional life in the long run. Customers crave intimate connection and want to know that you truly care about them. If they feel that they are just another number to you, and that you are trying to check them off your list to get to the next prospect, then you will end up losing sales.
Better Health
Being stressed and overworked can cause a multitude of health problems. Studies show that stress is linked to depression, respiratory issues, heart problems, and stroke. A study conducted by UCL of more than 10,000 participants revealed that white-collar workers who worked 3 or more hours longer than required had a 60% higher risk of heart-related problems than those who didn’t work overtime.
Less Burnout & More Productivity
We all want to be the best at what we do. But if this desire leads you to take on too much, you might end up feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, and that’s a recipe for failure. Burnout can cause mood swings, irritability, and a decrease in productivity, leaving you unable to keep up with the constant demands on your time.
You may feel like you need to put in endless extra hours at work in order to be at your most productive. You may get more done but, in the end, you’ll be sacrificing quality for quantity.
In order to actually become more productive, you have to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Some ways to do this include:
- Keeping your priorities straight– There are only so many hours in a day. Keep work at work, and try to not bring it home.
- Getting enough sleep– You need at least 7 hours of sleep so you don’t overextend yourself.
- Pacing yourself– Keep the saying “think of life as a marathon not a sprint” in your mind and apply it to your professional life, as well. You cannot become successful overnight. Take your time and build relationships so you don’t lose sales by being pushy or insensitive.
To become more efficient, practice time management to get work done by using an app such as focus tracker. - Focus on time management- Use your time efficiently, especially if you work from home. Take advantage of an app that features time tracking. It will help you realize how much time your daily tasks take, and allow you to spot unnecessary or overly time-consuming activities. Toggl analyzes how much time you spend on tasks, while other apps like Focus Keeper use the Pomodoro Technique to enhance your focus.
One major way you can create more time for yourself is by using exclusive leads, so that you aren’t spending all of your time competing for clients. When you work with Benepath, we find all of the prospects for you, and deliver them to you, giving you more time to build trust and convert your leads into sales. We manage 100% of our own marketing to generate exclusive leads, so there’s no need to compete with other agents, and less time wasted on uninterested prospects.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be tough, especially when you want to be successful and meet all of your goals. But do not lose track of how important having a full, well-rounded life is, because if you do, both your professional and personal life could end up suffering.
