By Gibbes Hance
The world is fast-paced, and it seems like we’re always on the go. But it’s possible to balance your work-life. You just need to know how to find the right balance for you.
Here are three simple steps to help you achieve the work-life balance of your dreams.
Step 1: Figure out your needs
Perhaps you find yourself in a difficult situation. The best way to resolve it is to figure out your needs.
If, for instance, your car broke down and you need to buy a new car because other transportation options will either be too expensive or too inconvenient.
When you can’t afford something you need to get out of a difficult situation, consider applying for credit. It’s a way to get the money you need to solve your distressing problem. Once you learn how to get a line of credit, for instance, you can shop for a car that will help you easily commute to work.
Getting a line of credit works like this: you borrow money at whatever interest rate the lender is offering, and then pay back the amount you owe, along with additional fees and interest. The interest is what the lender is making on their investment.
Line of credit balances will fluctuate depending on your borrowing and repayment habits. If you stop making payments for a period, the lender may need to charge off the debt. Line of credit balances are reported to your credit report so it’s important to know how to handle them correctly in order to avoid harming your score.
Step 2: Figure out your priorities
If you have a well-rounded life — a wonderful family, following their interests or hobbies, and working out regularly at the gym — but struggle to make ends meet despite having a good job, then your priority might be to earn a promotion. In this example, earning a promotion is the rising tide that will lift all boats.
To earn a promotion, you need to be worth considering for an open position in your company. While many believe that working harder at their jobs can make a huge impact on the company’s performance, earning a promotion is also about developing the skills you need to contribute more to your company.
If you’re a journalist or a staff writer, for instance, you can select from a variety of apps to improve your grammar and spelling to turn in clean drafts to your editor every time you write and take online courses that will improve your writing skills.
Step 3: Figure out how to fulfill your needs or priorities.
If you can’t get your needs met or achieve your priorities, then you may need to figure out what to do about it.
Imagine the following scenario. When you graduated from college, you got into a career that you thought you would like, but it didn’t work out the way you had imagined. For instance, you became an accountant because you would enjoy a good salary at a corporate job.
But now in midlife, you find yourself in a new world, a high-tech one, and you would love to develop technical skills. You love computer science and find that you’re currently stuck in a line of work that no longer interests you. You feel you’re missing out when your techie friends talk about how technical professionals are paid well in nearly every industry because they produce the best results and are often irreplaceable.
If you’re in the wrong career, the worst thing you could do is just settle for the way things turned out to be. Conversely, the best thing you could do is figure out how to change careers. One solution is to think of online education as a decent option to pursue an IT certification.
The best way to help you achieve a work-life balance is to figure out your needs and priorities. If it’s not possible to immediately meet your needs or focus on your priorities, then figure out how to make it happen.
