Sometimes we commit so much time and energy in to our careers that we often find it taking over our personal life, making it often difficult to switch off after a long day at work. But have no fear, we’re here to help you figure out what you can do today to maintain a better work-life balance.

• Zone out. We use our smartphone for everything, so it’s not quite as easy as simply turning it off. If you use your phone for work, we suggest investing in a second phone purely for business use, and either keep it at the office (if you can) or hidden away in a draw when you aren’t planning on working. This way, you won’t have the urge to check your emails when your mind is supposed to be shutting down for the day.
• Make time for loved ones. Spending time with family and friends is extremely important. Whether you take the kids out for a day at the zoo, your partner out for dinner or simply have friends over for a couple of drinks, you need to maintain those relationships to keep your support network strong.
• Me time is just as important. Whilst loved ones are high on the list, it’s ok to take some time out of your week to have some me time. Whether you lay on the sofa in front of the TV or use this opportunity to catch up on household chores, it’s just as important to take a few hours out to do what you want to do.
• Take a break. You may believe the myth that “the more you work, the more you’ll accomplish” which isn’t entirely true. In actual fact, it’s been proven that by taking regular breaks, you’re much more likely to be more productive.
• Try being an early bird. This piece of advice crops up quite a lot, and although it sounds like most people’s worst nightmare, if you can wake up an hour or 2 earlier, you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel by doing so. Richard Branson swears by it saying, “I tend to wake up at 5am so that I can use the early morning hours to get some exercise and spend time with my family. This routine helps put me in a positive mindset before I get down to business.”
• Prioritise. Make a list of all your outstanding tasks and prioritise them. By doing this you have a visual of what needs doing and a deadline for each task. Not only does this help with managing your workload, but it also allows you to avoid information overload when you try to remember outstanding tasks when you leave work. No matter how old you are, there’s just something so satisfying about putting a big tick next to a job.
• Evaluate. Take a step back to evaluate what’s going well and what isn’t. Think about how you go about doing certain tasks and ask yourself if there is a better, more efficient way of completing them. You may have to take time out for a few hours to really focus, but it’ll save a lot of time in the long run. If you manage a team, try this every few months to ensure you’re all working as efficiently as possible.
• Be realistic. If a work colleague or client/customer asks you to do something for them but there are already tasks that need to take more priority, be realistic with your own expectations. Don’t make promises you can’t keep as this could lead to disappointment. A good way around this would be to say “sure I can do that for you, but I have a few other jobs at the moment so I may not get round to it until such a date”. You aren’t saying no, but you’re making it clear that you won’t have it done right away.
• Ask for help. Similar to our point above, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If there’s something you can’t quite get your head around at work that’s taking up more time than expected, ask your manager or someone who has dealt with a similar situation in the past to advise how they would go about it. Your peers and manager will appreciate you asking for help rather than seeing you struggle. Teamwork makes the dream work.
• Eat healthy. Last but not least, and the most obvious of them all, eat healthily. Make sure you take in your 5-a-day and drink plenty of water. This will help keep your energy levels high throughout the day and positivity at a high. Stay fit, stay focused and stay fresh.

We hope these points help you maintain a healthy work-life balance. Feel free to make more suggestions by Tweeting us and messaging us on Facebook!