Professional balance is one of those things everyone knows is important, but, when you’re busy, it’s very easy to let the balance slide. However, letting your work-life balance tilt is not good for you, or your business, and ultimately both will suffer. Especially when you’re working for yourself, whether in an office or at a premium San Diego coworking space, there are five things you should be thinking about to maintain your professional balance.

Your Health Matters

In Japan, being a workaholic is sometimes a point of pride, with people comparing how many days it’s been since they’ve been home, or how many days they’ve gone without sleep. In reality, ignoring your health “because of deadlines,” will, inevitably, lead to hospitalization, and a sharp drop in your productivity and profits. Better to create and stick to an exercise regimen. Shoot to sleep 8 hours every night & attempt to eat right. Make your health a priority to work longer and stronger!

Take Advantage Of Technology

One of the biggest consumers of time for any business is commuting. Whether it’s hours lost on a plane for work-travel, or just driving from one office to another throughout the day for meetings, it’s hard to be productive on the road. Use the technology we have available, such as Slack for professional group chats, Skype, Zoom or other communication software, to conduct your meetings. Technology allows professionals to do much more without extensive commuting—even interacting with others— via their computer!

Don’t Isolate Yourself While Working In A Coworking Space

Humans are social animals and working to the point of isolating yourself will lead to disrupting your professional balance. Take the time to interact with others, whether it is your fellow employees or other professionals.  If you’re in a coworking space, interact to stay engaged and connected with others. To strengthen bonds and build professional relationships, make an effort to go beyond normal work interactions.

Here are a few ideas to help get you started. Interact with others during breaks or ask coworkers to go out for lunch. If you are conducting business in a coworking space, try taking an interest in the projects around you or even offer to help. Also be sure that you don’t ignore networking events! Meeting fellow professionals in a semi-formal setting gives you a chance to “talk shop” without the pressure to sell or perform.

Prioritize

The best way to maintain a balance is to organize your day, know what’s important, and do those things first. Once the “Must Do’s” are accomplished, it’s much easier to relax and find more useful ways to allocate your time & concentrate on other things. Create a list, and do your best to stick with it. Prioritizing is one of the first and most important steps for effective time management.

Look at your limitations, such as how much time you have in the day, the week or the month. Organize your tasks by urgency as well as the amount of time and effort required to complete them. Perhaps most important of all, learn to cut out things that aren’t necessary, so you can focus on things that give you the results you want.

Consult A Business Coach

If you want to find ways to be more productive and get things done, it’s always a good idea to get some help. A business coach can sometimes be the most efficient means of finding out how to improve what you’re currently doing for better, faster results. A coach may realize that you’re not delegating enough of your tasks and micro-managing with negligible improvements to your results. Good professional advice on your methodology can help you to work smarter and faster, leaving you more opportunity to take time off at the end of the working day.