It can be hard to achieve a comfortable balance between life and work. This is because for many, their job is more than just a means of earning the money necessary to pay the bills. It’s also how they fulfil their ambition; learn new skills and the source of many friendships. Work is very closely related to a person’s sense of worth and self-esteem. For many, it’s so much part of their identity that a period of unemployment can be devastating. A relationship, on the other hand, can be a tricky business, especially if you’re already married to your actual business. While having high ambition is a great thing, it’s no secret that it can put your relationship to the test. It’s not always easy to balance a relationship with a hustle; whether it’s your own business, a demanding job or school, but it can be done if you emphasize the quality of your together time, and make it clear on both sides what the focus is.
Research suggests that dropping your workplace stress at the door is one of the best ways to fully engage with your partner at home. Most of our day is at work and people often spend more time with their colleagues than they do with their loved ones. While this may be an inevitable fact of life, advance in technology now means that our workload is spilling into our home lives as ‘’the office’’ is now portable via laptops, mobile phones and internet connections.
If you don’t even have time to finish your daily to-do list, how in the world can you find time for love, right? Wrong! Two really are stronger than one, and supporting each other the right way will help your love life grow alongside your business. Let me share with you 5 tips on how to balance both.
- Include your partner in your work
Obviously, most people won’t be able to take their partner to work but it is possible to make them feel like they are part of your work life by talking to them about projects, dilemmas and developments you’re facing. Obviously, it would become quite boring if work was all you talked about but it is important that your partner doesn’t feel excluded from your life at work. Having a partner who is supportive in your everyday life could serve as motivation to do your best.
- Make the Time
For the majority of us, there isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t on our phone. And let’s face reality; it takes less than ten seconds to send a text. If we think even deeper, we probably have at least 10 free minutes in the day. So, the excuse, “I was too busy to contact you” is not valid anymore! Even if you don’t have the opportunity to have a full-blown conversation with them in one day, let them know that you’re still thinking about them. How? Set a reminder on your phone for a particular time to either send a text or make a phone call. This will really help communicate with your partner. When you live a busy life and have a stressful workplace it may not seem like you have time to spend with your partner. But you do! You can make time to talk, relax and even pamper your partner in just one hour per week. So, regardless of the schedule, you made for yourself, carve out that time for the one you love.
- Forgive and apologize
Work out your issues before your head hits the pillow for the good of your relationship and your career. If you wake up angry, not only did you possibly lose valuable sleep from the night before, but you also get a negative start to your morning that can affect your productivity throughout the day. Relationships can be a secure foundation and minimizer of stress. Don’t make things more difficult by holding grudges. Communicate often with your partner; show compassion toward their bad moods and celebrate their good ones with sincerity and without jealousy. A successful relationship is often the first step toward a successful career. Make sure you commit to the long-game.
- Set relationship goals
If you feel there’s an imbalance in your relationship, it is often because of time constraints. Perhaps you have a lot of time on your hands and your partner doesn’t. Or maybe you’re knee-deep in a new business venture and have no time to devote to your spouse. Either way, this is where goal setting comes in. Instead of looking for a romantic partner to fill the void, try pursuing something you genuinely enjoy and encourage your partner to do the same. Run with the goal together. See this period as an opportunity for growth and intimacy. You will be thankful to each other for the opportunity.
- Ask for what you want
Although life can seem like a game where you’re the only player, but rather, challenge yourself and your partner to find ways for both of you to get what you really desire. But to do this, you have to be honest and vocal. To assume that your partner should always know exactly what you want, and vice versa, is a real passion killer.
Instead, encourage your different desires, learn more about your partner’s deepest wishes, and find ways to contribute to each other’s desires; whether they are emotional, sexual or business-related. It might be a romantic getaway, a date night or even a night off to get some work done. The more you ask, the more you receive and the more you can create.
- Share the workload and make sacrifices
When times are hard and the threat of economic insecurity is in the air it can be very stressful. Many people fall into the trap of trying to deal with the stress of work on their own, in an effort to protect their partner from the worry. Intimacy is developed through shared experiences and even if you don’t tell your partner your concerns, they are likely to sense that something is troubling you and even provide a solution. If you don’t tell them the real reason they may conclude that you’re not happy with the relationship. Part of being in a relationship is making sacrifices for the benefit of your partner. Making out time for trips and vacations is an amazing way of spicing the relationship. It gives you both time to yourself and improves intimacy. Making out time for things like this can be quite difficult due to our busy schedule but creating the time is really going to help. The most successful relationships are those in which couples don’t give up so easily just because their lives got busy. If you are confident that you have found the one, you should want to sacrifice for the wellbeing of your relationship.
So while you may be swamped with all different types of commitments, that doesn’t mean you should lose sight of love. It’s possible to make your partner a priority and not lose sight of your goals either. Being busy doesn’t excuse putting your relationship on the backseat.
Remember – it is better to work to live than live to work.
I hope these tips help in making the right decisions in your career and relationships.