Top 5 Tips to Ensure you have a Good Work-Life Balance

*This is a collaborative post.

When running a blog, it can soon take up all your time. Whether you run it full-time or part-time, as you are setting your own hours and choosing how much work to take on, you can soon find yourself working late into the night or over your lunch breaks.

There are more bloggers than ever before and so more and more are coming across the issue of finding time for both work and play. The fun nature of blogging and the fact you are your own boss can mean it doesn’t always feel like work, but it’s important to remember that it is.

Here are five top tips to ensure you have a good work-life balance.

Have Set Work Hours and Stick to Them

If you are working a job full time and blogging in your evenings, this can be tricky as you can tend to work well into the night to get all your jobs done. This can end up being mentally draining and leave you burning yourself out and potentially getting ill. Set yourself dedicated hours to work, whether it’s 5-7 pm in the evening, 9 am to 5:30 pm in the evening or 9 am to 1 pm on a Sunday. Find out what works for you and stick to it.

Make Time for Fun Activities Too

When blogging, it can be hard to make time for fun activities as you feel all your spare time should be spent working on your blog. However, it’s important for a work-life balance that you make time for leisure activities too. You need to remember to not feel guilty about having fun and that you shouldn’t be working all the time! Take time to go for dinner with your partner, enjoy a bottomless brunch with your friends, take a walk in the park, or a bike ride along the canal. There are so many things to do to give your mind a refresh.

Prioritise your Time Well

Time can be wasted by faffing about and procrastinating in tasks. Ensure you prioritize your time well so none is wasted and tasks are completed efficiently. By prioritizing your time, you will have more spare time in the evenings to do the things you love. This will help you create a better work-life balance. And when you complete a task, remember to reward yourself – you earned it. Take a mini-break, eat chocolate, check Facebook or spend a few minutes browsing some Omega watches for marking that milestone – be kind to yourself, you deserve it!

Be Realistic

Be realistic with how long tasks will take and make sure to say no if your workload is piling up too much. It can be difficult to turn down tasks, however, you will find if you take too much on, the quality will suffer as will your work-life balance. Say yes to only what you can realistically do, while still having time for yourself. You could try making a list and estimating the time it will take to complete tasks.

Take Time Out to Exercise

Never underestimate the power of exercise! Whether you join a gym, go for a jog, or do yoga in your living room, it’s a great way to encourage a work-life balance. It’s a great excuse to take just an hour out of your day which will help you to relax, rejuvenate and clear your head. You will head back to your desk feeling refreshed and ready to complete any of the tasks on your list.

These top tips are easy to implement and will ensure you have a better work-life balance in no time.