How to be a Star Employee and Still have a Life Outside of Work

 

Let’s face it, trying to be the outstanding employee you know that you can be and maintaining work/life balance can often be difficult. The struggle between dedicating all your time to your work responsibilities and wanting to be yourself without the suit and tie does not have to be an issue. You can be a star employee while being a great friend, volleyball player, chef, mother, or whatever it is that makes you who you are. According to an article written by entrepreneur Naomi Simson, happy people are 31 percent more productive at work, 40 percent more likely to receive a promotion (people like happy people), less absent, with 23 percent fewer fatigue symptoms, up to 10 percent more engaged at work and are able to sell more – happy sales people produce 37 percent greater sales.

Here are some tips for having an optimal work/life balance:

Written by Lauren Lind

• Set work goals. Make a short-term goal list (goals you want to accomplish in the next 6 months) then make a long-term goal checklist for work (this can be anywhere between 1 year and 5 years). 

• Make a bucket list with things you want to do in your personal life. Brainstorm and write down everything you can think of, then go back and organize your list into short-term and long-term items. Start to incorporate some of the big things on your list with your work goals. Reward yourself for

• Set boundaries and establish honest communication. Be honest with your supervisor and if you are feeling overwhelmed don’t pretend like you can take on more than you have agreed to. Ultimately this honesty will be appreciated and you can focus on the tasks at hand while leveraging your colleagues and assets, which will help everyone overall.

• Aim for quality over quantity. Meaningful accomplishments take some time. An example of this could be rather than aiming to close 50 accounts, work towards closing 25 accounts and getting those accounts to sign on at a higher price.

• Set your priorities straight. Have some things that you are not willing to budge on when it comes to work. For example if you are asked to stay late for the third time in row and are missing out on being with your family, have already established rules for yourself and be strong about taking time for your personal affairs.

• Treat yourself with respect. This begins with scheduling your day so that you can do the things that are important to your well being.

• Be mindful.  Understand that your personal life can have an impact on your professional life and vice versa. This means that you should be mindful of w