More often than not, our work seems to take priority over everything else in our lives. As a result, the desire to achieve everything and be professionally successful leads to neglecting ourselves. But creating a perfect work-life balance is critical for our mental health and overall wellbeing. This balance, however, is not created in a day. Instead, you need to embrace habits that will help you improve your personal and professional life.
Whether you are someone who is just starting out, an entrepreneur, or a manager, you get to pick the habits you form. These habits don’t affect you solely, but also the people you work with. And most importantly, your habits not only shape and improve your personal life but also help a great deal to improve your professional life.
So if you are someone who is unsatisfied with your job or someone who feels like their life lacks purpose, it is time for a change. Here is a set of habits that you need to develop to turn things around for yourself.
Make a decision
Instead of going with the flow, decide on who you are as a professional. Think about where you want to take your career and how you see things unfolding for you in the upcoming years. Create some long term goals and map out a plan that will help you achieve those goals. This is one of the best ways to improve your personal and professional life. Creating a road map will give you a purpose. Take one step at a time every day to reach closer to your goal.
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Stay in touch
Creating a few meaningful and long-lasting relationships in your professional life is a great way to increase your circle. Simply staying in touch with these people can go a long way for your mental health. Since they are in the same profession as you, they understand the needs of your career and it is always good to have people you can talk to.
Listen
It is easy to get caught up in your own life and stick to your own thoughts. But it is important for your self-growth to open yourself up to new ideas. This way you can learn new things by simply interacting with your colleagues. If you remain closed off, people will eventually get drained of trying to deal with you. You don’t want to come across as a stubborn person who is resistant to change. These traits will not get you far in your career growth.
Learn to unplug
We live in a world that has a constant need for staying “online” and connected. It is crucial to take some time off and “unplug” from your work. This practice could be as simple as not checking your work email before bed. Or taking some time out to meditate. Or maybe reading a book while commuting from work. These little things are bound to have a positive effect.
Look after yourself
One of the most basic habits to improve your personal and professional life is taking care of yourself. Eat right, drink plenty of water, exercise, read more, meet new people, learn new things, etc. Implementing this will not only help you grow more confident but also give you the necessary mental peace and strength to succeed professionally.
Ignore the hate
Life is too short to let people get to you. There will always be a chunk of people who will be glad to see you miserable and fail. People can get involved in office politics, or even go as far as sabotaging your career. It is easy to get sucked into this pattern and lose focus on your personal goals. But all it will do is bring harm to your well being. So do not waste your time and energy on such people. Just ignore the hate and do your best.
Networking
Networking is as essential for your professional career as building a strong skill set. Try to step out of your comfort zone and seek out people for networking. There are many people who love to impart their knowledge. Approach such people for mentorship and guidance. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is great for your mental health and your career. Hence, this is a great way to improve your personal and professional life.
Stop Comparing
This point cannot be emphasized enough. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. The fastest way to kill your own happiness and fall into a pit of self-doubt. It is intriguing to look at someone you knew back in school who is now a huge success and compare yourself with them. But all you will end up doing is feeling incompetent about your work. So instead of comparing yourself with others, focus on your own work plan and stay focused on achieving your goals.
Always keep your word
Every time you promise to get work done or meet a project deadline, make sure you follow through. Do not make false promises and then disappoint the people you work with. You want to come across as someone who is trustworthy. It is better to promise less and deliver more instead of promising too much and then failing to deliver the same. People will like to work with you when you have a record of delivering and keeping your word.
Be positive
It is so common to come across people who complain out loud to everyone about their job. Be a refreshing change and stay positive. Even if your job has you overworked, be positive and greet people with a smile. A friendly handshake, a pat on the back, or a simple compliment will go a long way. It will make you come across as a warm person that people want to associate with. Having a positive outlook, in general, is the best thing you can do for your overall well being.
Implementing a work-life balance can mean different things to different people. After all, we all have different commitments in our lives. Not everyone will want to divide their work-life exactly in half. But implementing these habits can definitely improve the overall professional and personal welfare of individuals.
Washija Kazim is a content developer at Receptix. She’s an avid reader and has a keen interest to develop content that adds value to users. Washija has been writing on topics of education, job search, career advice and related areas for the last 3 years.
