How to Balance Personal and Professional Life

Anchor,Actress,Singer, Dancer, Dreamer. That’s Shibani Dandekar in 140 characters for you.
It’s a Saturday night and you are sitting at home alone with takeout Thai food and a bunch of movies because you were so busy with work that you failed to respond to your friends’ plans that you were kindly being invited to. Sounds familiar? If yes, it needs to change and it needs to change now!
Friends– Instead of saying ‘yes’ to all plans and flaking out of them all at the last minute, say ‘no’ to the ones you can’t make it. In your head, pick a day and block it and say ‘yes’ to the plan on just that day. You will most definitely get to meet your friends more often than you do now. Repeat for every circle of friends. Trust me; your social calendar will be adequately full.
Colleagues– If you happen to belong to that small and lucky group of people, who have friends at work, feel blessed! You end up seeing each every day for ten straight hours and some times more for professions like ours. It becomes imperative that you get out of that workplace conversation and gossip and just have a good time! Meet up with them outside the office once in a while and just let your hair down. Working together also becomes tad bit easier when you’ve held on to your team member’s hair while she puked her guts out.
Parents– Now that they have discovered the joy that is Whatsapp, chances are they will text to ask you whether you have eaten lunch or not. Chances are this bombardment of messages will take place while you are in an important meeting. Sit them down and let them know that work hours are a time when you would prefer minimum conversation with the world outside. Pick an hour convenient for both sides and make a phone-call. A single call at the end of the day would be a brilliant for you as well as them. Catch up on the day’s events and plans for the next day. Happiness!
Bae- Texting all day in the middle of work ensures that your romance gets diluted and you work also suffers. Condition yourself into understanding that when you are at work, you need to detach yourself from the rest of the world. Unless it is an emergency, response to mundane information can wait till the end of the day. If your bae is from the same city as you, make sure to share at least two meals a week with them. Talk for hours over some scrumptious brunch with wine but make sure you leave your phones at home. Marking out your hours strictly, almost like a job-sheet in your head, only makes adulating a tad bit easier.
Yourself- Now for the most important bit! Work is consuming you and so is your social life. Where do you go? There has to be a day every week when it is you in your room under the blanket, reading the book you have been meaning to finish for a while or catching up on the latest show on Netflix. Occasional pampering sessions at the spa or salon can be relaxing as well but there has to be a ‘personal time’ (literally) when you are all alone doing something you enjoy. Even if that is dancing in your room like a mad person!
So if it is Saturday and you are alone, take out that book and a bottle of wine and have a wonderful ‘me’ time. From tomorrow, just plan ahead in your mind and see the difference in your life!
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