Achieving Work-Life Balance: Tips and Tricks for Striking the Perfect Balance

Drowning in the pile of chores, running behind the clocks, beaten by impossible deadlines, searching for relief in beer and wine, stressing out in the traffic, grumping about your situations horrific, all your heart craves is a moment of stillness, happiness, and fulfilling, but all you got is the work sickening!

In the day when the fight for survival keeps on getting harder and harder striking the perfect work-life balance may seem like a far cry. But with the simple but forgotten tricks, you can master the art of balancing work and life without compromising on your efficiency and paycheck!!!!

37-year-old Sameer, a Mechanical Engineer struggling to find his base in the bustling city of Mumbai changed his life with this amazing secret of attaining work and life balance…

Like many of us, Sameer too packed his bags and stepped foot in the dream city of Mumbai. Coming from a small coastal town with a simple life and simpler needs, the zombie life of city people jolted him to the core.

Unable to afford the houses at princely prices per square foot, he moved towards suburban Mumbai to find a rather breathable-priced home. But this bargain came at a cost of his time and energy.   

His mornings seemed like a rush hour, hustling for the 8 a.m. local he boards the brimming train with people hanging by the doors. The sweat, the smell, the swindles, and the screams ripped his morning bliss and sparked a pulsating nerve that just kept soaring through the day.

Life was tied to the hands of the clock, running tirelessly from dawn till dusk happiness became a mirage and satisfaction a myth. Sameer’s family life was completely washed off. Though his wife nagged and whined and complained about his constant absence there wasn’t much he could do or that’s what he thought.

His sore body craved some rest, shutting the world outside, away from the woes and worries where his mind could be at peace. He wanted to replenish all his energies on the weekends and avoided any outing or contact with the world outside. He would get irked even at the drop of a pin, and later rue looking at the innocent face of his 3-year-old munchkin.

He is never there for his son, celebrating the little moments or teaching him important lessons. He is never there to stand by his wife to hold her hand and be the partner he promised.

These thoughts often troubled him in the silence of nights when he lay there wide awake staring blankly at the ceiling of his house. The missed moments haunted him and the uncertainty of their future made him sweat even on cold nights.

He knew this is not what he wanted, this is not why he came to this city, slogging like a slave and then spending all the dime just to survive. He got up one night and wrote a 4-page letter to me, describing each and every bit of his agony in painstaking detail. 

After going through his four-page letter, reading and re-reading it, I placed it on the table and took out my notepad to jot down the first thoughts that got triggered after reading his narration. I wrote – impulse control, an untrained mind, dwindling relationships, lack of perspective, lack of empathy, and emotional intelligence.

The troubles that enmeshed Sameer’s life are not exclusive to him. Many people if not all, go through the same ordeal of grinding through the unnecessary drills, the ad-hoc work, and the unmindful things.

Here are the tips that changed his life, literally

Don’t make the relationship a work

It does not need hours to please a person, but that one moment of love, one word of care and one gesture of affection can melt even the crudest heart! Give that moment to your family, always.

To get things done fast do them slowly!

This might sound bizarre, but to really get things done faster you must do it slowly without feeling that pulse of anxiety or worry, concentrating completely, then only you can accomplish your tasks in half time.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

The mind when fed with negative feelings turns into a devil exasperated and exaggerated! Real life is not that bad, drastic things don’t blow in the wind, so stop weaving that false fog and concentrate on better brighter things.

Don’t overthink and don’t underplay

Thinking about the past and future, the undone deeds and the unattainable feats are not going to get you anywhere, get up, get done, and do the things you have on your plate right now with utmost grace and perfection. 

Practice Self-motivate

Feed your fire and amazing things will start happening. Read the self-help books, watch an inspiring video or meet the people of mettle.

Reward yourself

Last but most importantly, make yourself happy and be grateful. The human brain is elated by little rewards, it triggers a happy feeling, boosts your energy, and shows drastic improvement in your performance.

These are very simple things uttered by great seers and sages again and again yet we tend to underestimate the power of simplicity chasing all the shimmer and success.

Please share your thoughts and comments. Let’s spread goodness. Let’s spread light!