5 Ways To Balance Your Love Life And Career Without harmself
5 Ways To Balance Your Love Life And Career Without harmself..
Career is not easy to everything..
No one ever said managing a career was easy. Throw a
relationship into the mix and you've got career suicide, right? Wrong. While
we'd all love to forgo a day of work in exchange for a fun-filled day with our
significant other, having a strong relationship doesn't mean your occupational
goals have to suffer. It's quite the opposite!
Extensive research on the subject of relationships and
careers shows that people in successful relationships not only make more money,
they're healthier, live longer, and get more promotions than singles do. So how
can you juggle your relationship and your career?
We've got the five tips that'll keep your work and love life
harmonious—and YOU sane!
1. Prioritize
It's a fact: Sometimes life forces us to put more weight on
one thing than another. Often, this priority shift means forgoing one goal in
exchange for another; for example, weakening your professional aspirations in
return for relationship growth. But you shouldn't have to sacrifice one aspect
of your life for another. After all, what's the fun of a promotion if you don't
have someone to share it with?
The good news is prioritizing doesn't mean sacrifice. It
means adjustment. And by building a strong foundation for both your romantic
and work life, you can prevent disruption when priorities shift.
Step one: Make sure that both your significant other and
your coworkers know that they're a significant part of your life. When both
understand that they are mutually valuable, staying late at the office doesn't
mean that you'd rather be at work, nor does taking a personal day mean you
don't care about your job.
Communicate that both are of high priority and sometimes, as
need be, one might take precedence.
2. Compartmentalize
Having a successful career and a loving relationship is the
best of both worlds. The best way to keep those two separate worlds happy? Just
that—keep them separate! That means when you're at work, commit fully to your
job, the task at hand, and the needs of your coworkers or managers.
Don't let your love life be a distraction. There's plenty of
time to daydream outside the office. Instead, spend your workday being
productive and you'll have more time quality time to spend with your beloved
later.
Likewise, when spending quality time with your significant
other, don't let work distract your attention. Put away your BlackBerry, stop
talking about your next big proposal, and halt all conversations about your
gossipy coworker. Instead, discuss topics you as a couple both enjoy. On the
plus side, you'll find that occasionally disconnecting (fully) from work will
make you more productive when you return to the office.
3. Manage Your Time
The number one factor in job loss and relationship breakdown
is lack of time and dedication. Successful professionals who are in
relationships know this can be avoided with a little forethought and planning.
If your career demands that you work long hours at the end of the month, plan a
weekend get-away with your guy the week before so you can share time before
your required separation.
Equally, after a vacation or break from work, come back to
the office energized and eager to get back to your job. Show your boss that
even though you value your relationship and personal life, you are similarly
devoted to your professional success.
4. Stay Connected
Social networking exists for a reason—to reach out and touch
people. Spending time at the office is unavoidable, but ruining your
relationship because you have a job is 100 percent avoidable. The fix? Take
five minutes each day to send a quick private message to your significant
other, write on his Facebook wall — heck, even send a quick email to let him
know you're thinking of him.
But please, this shouldn't be a novel, nor should you share
in a monumentally long IM chat every hour. Remember, you're at work... you
should be working! Just a quick two-liner about how special he is will do just
fine.
5. Know When to Quit
We'll be the first to admit, quitting gets a bad wrap. But
knowing when something or someone isn't good for you and taking yourself out of
that situation makes for one great character trait.
The lesson: Be mindful of just how much time you're investing
in your relationship or your career. If your late work hours are preventing you
from taking part in the things you love (a.k.a. your relationship) it may be
time to reevaluate your job and career aspirations. Meeting with your boss to
establish a more efficient work schedule might be in order.
Similarly, if your significant other is not considerate of
your career or life goals and continually gives you grief about not spending
enough time with him, it may just be time to quit him.
Just remember, success-minded people know that balance is
the spice of life. And no matter how well you manage your time, sometimes your
life will be more focused on one area than another. Just be sure to assess your
goals from time to time, evaluate where you are and where you want to be, and
plan accordingly.
You can have it all! You just have to work it, gir and Boy...
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