For many, the typical workday ends sharply at 5:00 p.m. After all, most of us have already put in a full eight hours of work by then and we’re ready to call it a day. Others, however, aren’t so lucky. With more and more employers mandating overtime, some workers aren’t done when the clock strikes five.

Maintaining work / life balance

There are benefits and drawbacks to working overtime. Some employees even enjoy it. After all, the extra income is always nice at the end of the week. However, it’s still important to maintain a proper work-life balance. To do so, consider the following tips:

• Prioritize: Effective prioritization is the key to achieving and maintaining the optimal work-life balance. For starters, try grouping your responsibilities into one of four categories: urgent and important; important but not urgent; urgent but not important; and neither urgent nor important. This gives you a clear understanding of your day-to-day tasks and lets you rank their importance in an easily understood list or chart.
• Maintain a regular schedule: Going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning gives you a clear picture of exactly how much time you have throughout the day. If possible, try to maintain this schedule on days off and vacation days, too.

Avoid overworking yourself

Maintaining the ideal work-life balance is impossible if you’re constantly overworking yourself. This often happens to those who are self-employed or working remotely, as it’s easy to lose track of time when you’re not working out of an office with a team of co-workers, but it occurs with more traditional jobs, too.

• Take breaks throughout the day: If you’re feeling stressed or overworked, slow down and take a break. You can even take several breaks throughout the day to break up the monotony of the typical workday.
• Make time for your friends and family: Spending time with friends and family members is a great way to mentally remove yourself from the workplace and help you find a little more enjoyment and relaxation during your free time.

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