3 Things You Need to Balance in the Workplace (Work-Life Not Included)

None of us are strangers to the phrase "work-life balance" -- whether it's something we remind ourselves to be cognizant of, or a concept that we have a fairly good handle on.
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None of us are strangers to the phrase "work-life balance" -- whether it's something we remind ourselves to be cognizant of, or a concept that we have a fairly good handle on.

However, in emphasizing the importance of balancing between our career and our daily life, we sometimes forget that there are other workplace aspects to consciously regulate - and it is just as crucial to do so. Here are a few of them:

1. Your goals

It's imperative to set goals for yourself that are a healthy medium between entirely unattainable and easily doable. They should challenge and excite you, but there should also be realistic methods to achieve them.

Throughout our career, the notion of goal-setting is consistently stressed - but sometimes it can bring us just that (stress.) It's important not to get discouraged if we don't reach a milestone when we thought we would - and instead treat any minor setback as incentive to dive deeper into how to get to that point

This is where balance comes into play yet again - having high levels of motivation, yet upholding reasonable expectations.

2. Saying what's on your mind.

Certain situations can get tricky in an office environment - there will be many times where you'll want to speak up or even against something, but hold back out of fear of your comment being misconstrued negatively. Particularly for younger employees, it's difficult to know when it's okay to suggest a new idea - or when you're overstepping your boundaries.

In times like these, it's okay to reach out to a mentor or higher-level employee to get their insight. It's also okay to use your best judgment and do what you feel is right. The key here is to learn how to identify situations where you can offer your opinion - as well as instances where it's best to keep your mouth shut.

3. The time you allocate to particular things.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in a certain work project or deliverable that it becomes our main focus - and we forget that we have other tasks that demand our attention as well.

It's hard not to become attached to or engrossed in something that we are more passionate about, but it's also crucial to recognize when you are falling behind in other areas. You may consider something to be a "mindless task" that you can get to later, but you may run out of time before you realize it.

The concept of time goes well beyond procrastination or laziness - often among perfectionists, the problem presents itself when we want to get one thing just right (and can't do anything else until we do so.)

Balancing various things can be a challenge - and it's especially prevalent in the workplace. The best you can do is be aware of what areas you can improve on - and it's that awareness that will be your secret weapon.

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