Achieving Career Goals while Maintaining a Social Life
The topic of work/lifebalancehas been discussed and debated for decades. The general consensus seems to be that you just cannot have both and therefore must choose one. This notion is absolutely ridiculous. It is possible to aggressively pursue a career and have a fulfilling social life. Read on for some tips and important information.
Leave work at work
This simply means that when you walk away from the office, stop being at the office! How many people think about work situations and projects while they are at home "relaxing"? The answer is most people; the average person talks about, thinks about and even dreams about their job on their off time. Stop worrying about work so much, occupy your mind with...hmm...fun stuff! If you find yourself thinking about work, think about something else. The reason for this is that your loved ones do not want to every painful detail of your job, they want to enjoy the happy and relaxed you.
Schedule in fun time
You may think this sounds rather silly, however it is more of a reality for some people than they may want to admit. There is nothing wrong with being passionate about pursuing career goals and working hard to make them happen. In fact, being a hard worker and having career goals is very commendable, however it can also be the undoing of some people. If all you do is work, work, work then you can become stressed and irritable and just not pleasant to be around. The solution lies within your planner: etch out some time to have a good time. Plan a day or at least a few hours every now and then to have dinner or go to the movies with your significant other or friends. Plan a few days for a fun getaway (or a weekend trip).
Do lunch
No matter where you work or what your career is, you always get time each day for lunch. Throw a little fun into the middle of your day and have lunch with your partner or group of friends. Plan ahead when and where to meet and have a ball! Take that lunch hour to laugh and forget the pressures of work. Lunches can also be a great time to catch up with friends and make plans to do something on the weekend. Meeting up for lunch may sound almost pointless because of the short amount of time, however that short time spent with special people can actually help make the work day go faster and not seem quite so stressful.
Spur of the moment
One way to keep your career from taking over your entire life is by doing something unplanned. It makes sense because during work hours, your day is ruled by meetings, tight deadlines and schedules, schedules, schedules! An example of a spur of the moment activity is going away for a romantic weekend with your sweetheart or go camping with friends over the weekend. Your spontaneous activities can be as simple as having friends over to watch movies or the big game or going window shopping. The whole idea is to occasionally do things that are not perfectly planned or scheduled since that is how most people spend their work days.
Unplug
Texting, phone calls and the Internet are all great ways to stay connected to loved ones, however nothing takes the place of face-to-face contact. Use these mediums to make plans to do things with people in person. Try committing to only face-to-face contact with people at least one weekend a month (2 or 3 is even better). You can also do this a couple of times a week, after you get home from work. The reason this is a good idea is that it can become so easy to send a text message or make a quick phone call, but being in the same room as loved ones is so much better. Turn the phone off for a few hours and enjoy face time with the people that matter in your life.
Accept less overtime
It may seem inconceivable to not put in as many hours as possible in order to achieve your career goals, however, what good does having that perfect career if you have alienated everyone you love? Obviously some overtime might be necessary and great for the paycheck, just remember to keep some time earmarked for kicking back and enjoying life. After all, there is more to life than just punching the time clock. One final point about overtime is this: some overtime is good as it shows you are willing to work hard, some social interaction shows you are unwilling to be lonely.
Everyone has heard the expression: "Work hard and play harder", but some people cannot figure out how to actually make that happen. The simple truth of the matter is you must be willing to make having a social life as important as your career. It does not do a person much good to have a fabulous career and make good money, if they are all alone. It is very important to learn to make time among the business meetings and deadlines for some good old fashioned fun!
