How do you balance your work and life?

After graduating from college, and starting working in the society, I find that I miss the college life a lot.
At first, my life is in a mess. At one hand, I have to deal with all kinds of difficulties occured in work, and i have to handle the relationships with colleagues. At the other hand, I have to studdy after work. I know that if I am not keeping studying, I will be lagged behind.
Sometimes, I have no time for my friends. When weekends come, I just feel too tired to go out. I am an otaku now. Have you met this kind of situation?

It is very difficult to balance work and life and give equal time to each. My life is right now not that balanced, it is more work less life, huh!
I am very depressed these days, but at the same time I am thankful to my God who has given me work and I am not unemployed like other people who crave to find a job.

For the past 3,5 years, I was working as a Foreign Economic Affairs Manager for a manufacturing company. I was glad to get the job at the beginning, but I didn’t know then that it’s gonna be really hard. I was working from 9.00 till 19.00 or 20.00 six days a week. Sometimes I worked on Sundays. No holidays and no bonuses. Since it was far away, I spent 3 hours to get to my workplace and come back home. I had less time to spend with my friends and family. All I was doing was work and sleep. Finally, I quit my job recently. I am looking forward to new challenges. I hope my next job will be totally different.

Really it is very difficult that how we can do the balance our work and life. I am in job last 2.5 year so i have no free time because my 8 to 9 hours spend in office so i can’t meet my friends. I always meet to my friends every holiday and night time. But is is so hard.

I am working since I was 19 yrs and I was working and studying at the same time. But it was a bit difficult and going on it became a bit easy. And I finish my studies and I miss my college life a lot. It was very great with friends.

It’s very hard to manage a work/life balance. Everyone wishes they would have more time in a day to be around friends and family, but sometimes we are just too tired to want to do anything at all. I find that the best strategy for me has been to set aside a certain amount of time each day for my social life and then to stick to that. I may end up not being with friends that day, but I at least try to either give them a call to talk to them on Skype for a bit.

I also stick to this sort of schedule with my on-the-side learning, where I set aside a certain amount of time each day to sit down and learn something new. Same with sleep, relaxation (unplugging), and family time.

I’ll be honest; I’m not perfect at sticking to this schedule every day, but I try to do the best I can with it. Sometimes all I really need is a good long nap :smiley: .

Anyways, the point is that if you start setting aside time each day for certain activities, you will be surprised at how much you are able to accomplish in a day. Good luck!

Hi,

I have been working for the past 25 years. In the early days, I used to dive in and never come out. As I learned more about myself and what I wanted for me and those close and meaningful to me, I started to set boundaries that I made clear to my co-workers/managers/board members/owners. I have always made sure that I put in 120% effort when I am at work. I seize the opportunity when my co-worker comment on how hard I work (when at work). I will say “Well at work I am working, when I am off, I am not”. I turn my cell phone off after work or I don’t answer any work emails/text/phone calls unless I have made arrangements with people or have a event where I decide it is better to be available.

I think one thing is to understand that protecting your private life so everything doesn’t bleed together is very important. The pundints have coined the term ‘Available 24 hours a day’ - this is NOT healthy, yet more and more people do it.

You would think that people would have exceptions when I tell them my boundaries and demonstrate that I won’t cross them. But I have found that people just eventually accept it. I have gotten around the edge cases

Employer/Manager: "But what if I need to get a hold of you with something important. Answer: “Generally we know when something will be important or critical, in those situations I can make myself available for critical matters only”.
or
Co-workers: “I keep myself available all the time, why should you not be the same?” Answer: "You always complain about how you need to be available all the time, your girlfriend is always mad at you for never be available just for her, the people around you know that you keep yourself available; therefore they take advantage of your openess! I work very hard (when at work), when needed I make myself available, and I have successful friendships, marriage and time with my kids. I am better balanced as a result and therefore I am productive and my mangers/the employer/the board know it, to be sure, I make them aware of it. I suggest you set some boundaries in your working life.

It can be hard. It takes guts to do it, but maybe try introducing some key boundaries that will help give you better balance and see how the people around you adapt. If you don’t bring it on too strongly, you will likely be pleasently surprised.

My 2 cents.

I refer to my religion

For me, life is more important than work !

After working hour, I spend most time in take care two sons, one is 7 year old, one is 5 year old, I have no time to meet and traveling with friend, sometime I feel very tired, but I have no choice

I think you have got good job, of course it also mean you have to spend more time on it, the pressure for this is very high but instead you get good salary

Sometimes, life and work are just integrated into one, and i hate that.

Yeah when the education era is completed our life turn to the new era challenges of getting job and earn money for our future then life going very fast , every body very busy in achieving their goals

I find hard to balance i need to work as i am self employed, which means i will work every day more so in the climate,
my other half works one day a week and runs the house kids ect, and if i go out with them for the day it’s a novelty
it should not be like this but for us it’s reality.

I think you are just stressed out.
Everywhere you go, working with people can be difficult although some places are better than the others.
With work- if you are not happy with it then you can look for other job or just bear with it until a better one comes along. Even if you are not studying, working with colleagues that you don’t like can sap your energy.
Study- do your best now and you will be able to relax in the future.
Give yourself a few minutes of breather each day. It helps.

If anyone could find the solution to the problem of work and life balance they would make a mint.
In all seriousness there is seldom a balance unless it is perceived in a positive way, a mind-set if you will.
if you look at life as poor then life will be poor. First things first turn off the TV and get into the habit of looking for alternatives to wasting time watching that dross you’ll often find yourself with lots of time on your hands.
get a fulfilling routine on work days which includes eating well and fitness keep in touch with friends after work and make the extra effort with people who you may of neglected.
If you live in London get the f*ck out of there you waste so much time commuting day in day out.

One of the top five regrets of the dying was working too much. don’t waste time working when you’re treading water only apply yourself to the extremes if you are building sometime from scratch that you can retire from rich and pass it on to your kids to run into the ground.

Above all take advantage of great aspects of life, drink wine, write, read, find someone who gives you energy, travel and keep dreaming.

Oh and wear Sunscreen…apparently

after read your post I went to my College life also. My working life is sart from my Childhood, when I was 14 years old. Still now I am too busy with my Job and Study, many friends Miss me but I can not give them time for my busy life. After complete my office I have work in Computer and then i have to study. What Life I leading? Like a Robot. But Some times I really Enjoy my life and Sometimes I feel boar with my life and Think my life is really like a Machine.

…God I have no life… ever since I started my own website, that is my life now.

You have posted here very interesting story and life’s real view dear. after college life we are just frustrate our daily and normal life, time to time we have to do some enjoy and spend some beautiful moments out of city.

I refer to my parents.