My Top 6 Tips For Balance Between Personal & Work Life

The key to longevity in your profession is definitely finding the perfect balance between your personal life and business life. Not the easiest equation to solve, but it can be done by regularly assessing a number of aspects that directly control and influence your happiness. Please read on for my 6 tips for what has helped me with my work/life balance.

As most of you are coming to know, Kashalia and Taylor are my number 1 priority in this world. Maybe there will be someone else one day, but for now they are my primary focus. Establishing myself in a new industry has required me to sacrifice some of my personal time with the girls. With honest management, they understand the importance of what we are trying to achieve with my work to obtain the personal life we as a family desire.

It is different for everyone how they find the balance with personal, family and business dynamics, but ultimately we are trying to find quality and happiness for the same reasons.

My Top Six Tips For Work/Life Balance

1. Understand what quality family time is and what is means to your family. My girls love sharing specific moments with me, whether it be going to watch them play soccer, tennis or surf, attending their school assemblies, helping them with their homework, cooking, going out and undertaking some retail therapy or just sitting back on the lounge together watching the footy or cricket.  Recently the girls questioned why they can't be at award ceremonies with me, as they are proud of what I have achieved. We made it happen and it means the world to them. I immediately understood  why, when I could see how proud they were, the same as when I watch them achieve at school or sport. Factor these moments into an ideal week/month/year to begin the balance.
2. Write out all your goals/intentions personal, business, health, financial, intellectual, family and spiritual. I have goals in every single one of those categories. 54 in total, with my spiritual goals being limited. Yet they are quality intentions to help those that are less fortunate than the girls and I, through donations of goods, time and conducting charity events through my business.
3. Action your goals and intentions.  Work out action plans over time on how you are going to achieve the intentions you have set. Build these plans around your ideal days/weeks/months/years without compromising the personal time you have already factored in.
4. Setting Budgets. Do not just set budgets for your finance, set budgets for your time. It is true time is money, but quality time not wasted is the most precious time of all. It is the balance you are looking for. In my world if I am at work, it is work. If I'm with my girls at an event that is significant to them, then it is all about them. Don't get me wrong, there are moments where work interferes with my personal time, that is the nature of real estate. I am honest with the girls that if it is an activity that is dollar productive and going to result in that holiday or day of retail therapy, they totally understand.
5. Regular Assessment. I reassess my goals/intentions, actions, ideal weeks and timelines regularly, some times multiple times per day. Yet I try and focus on the small things that result in the big picture piecing together and becoming real. Some times the initial intentions you have may not be able to come to fruition due to a change in circumstance that is outside your control. It may just require you modifying your actions, extending or shortening your time lines here and there and it will reappear again.
6. Be true to yourself. Honestly, this is one of the hardest things for me. I am forever thinking I need to try to make the girls happy and meet other expectations. When really I am trying to meet my own insane expectations as a super mum and outstanding real estate agent and not finding myself happiness. It is only recently I came to realise this, especially the self happiness. If I am not happy and content with who I am, how am I meant to be a good mum and make the girls happy and fulfill my business goals. I simply reassessed the way I went about my day to day life. I now constantly remind myself to be honest and not to forget my requirements and overnight, both personal and business life improved significantly. Balance your needs against others, do not forget yourself.

These 6 tips for work/life balance should hopefully give you an understanding how I have made the transition into real estate from marine biology a little easier. Balance = Happiness + Sanity

© Rachel Lawrie, 2015 All rights reserved