Balancing Your Life at Work and Home

No one ever said that being a sales marketing professional would be easy, especially when it comes to the area of balancing work and home life.

Most sales and marketing managers are expected to put in long hours on the job (and potentially at home by utilizing their mobile devices, PDAs and laptops) which puts a tremendous strain on their personal lives. However, equilibrium can be attained; below are a few of the best ways to have the best of all worlds.

Schedule Family and Personal Time on Your Calendar

One of the first things that flies out the window when work gets tremendously busy is personal time. Unfortunately, that can take its toll on a sales marketing supervisor’s home life.

To combat becoming a 24/7 slave to your sales marketing role, begin to schedule “appointments” with your family (or by yourself.) Allowing yourself the freedom to walk away from a work-related task for a little while will actually enable you to be more energized when you return.

Learn How to Delegate

If you’re working 80 hours a week, it may not be because your sales marketing office is incredibly busy… it may simply be that you haven’t delegated enough of your work to subordinates and colleagues.

Many professionals (especially those who have an affinity for their careers) forget that they don’t need to do it all. By learning how to empower others, you’ll enable yourself to have more freedom.

Say No to Nonessential Roles

Are you a “yes” person? Do you wind up taking on far too many roles (and then regretting it later because they eat up your alone or family time?) If so, you need to add the word “no” to your vocabulary.

Obviously, you won’t always be able to turn down sales and marketing assignments; yet it’s critical to sometimes admit that you simply do not have the time to accomplish the responsibility.

Stop Making Excuses for Wanting to Be Alone or with Family/Friends

Many professionals (especially females who have achieved successful sales marketing careers) feel terribly guilty when they aren’t working, as if their personal lives are somehow less important than their lives behind desks or in front of clients.

But if all you do is apologize for having a life outside of work, you’ll never be able to fully reach your potential because you’ll be consumed by self-induced remorse most of your waking hours.

Keep Your Work and Family Life Separate

Unless you have your own business, there’s a good chance that you can keep your family and work somewhat separate. This helps draw the lines between the two worlds, which in turn makes it easier to stop working when at home and stop obsessing about home when at work.

One quick note: If you have your own business and/or work with family members, this may be tough – though not impossible – to accomplish.

Relax and Know That Balance is a Learning Process

Had a bad week where you feel as though you somewhat neglected your family or friends? Don’t fret about it, but do try to make next week better.

As you implement more ways to achieve balance in your life, you’ll find that it becomes more automatic. And everyone – your boss, your loved ones, your friends – will be glad you took steps to become more equalized.

For an insight into Marketing and Business take a look at Charlotte Ahern's marketing blog.