The Results Are In: “Focus on Work-Life Balance” Top Professional Goal for 2018

In January, we asked our readers what type of personal, professional goals they set for themselves for the new year, and with 23% of the votes, “Focus more on work-life balance” was the top result.

Coming in second with nearly 12% of the votes each, respondents said they want to “Expand their professional network” and “Complete a new certification or training program.” “Participate in a personal/leadership development program(s)” and “Receive a raise or promotion” rounded out the top five responses with 10% and 8% of the votes, respectively.

The rest of the results were as follows:

  • Get more involved in community/charitable organizations (8%)
  • Get more involved in your professional/industry organizations (7.5%)
  • Get a new job/start a new career (7%)
  • Start your own business (4%)
  • Start/complete higher education/graduate degree/etc. (3%)
  • Retire (3%)

Another 2% of respondents selected the “Other” option and submitted their own thoughts on the question, including starting a second business, decluttering their office, putting an end to negative self-talk, finishing unresolved projects, and taking a new and exciting risk.

Five quick tips for creating better work-life balance
A significant portion of our lives is spent at work, so it’s important to focus on activities that make your time healthy and happy. Here are a few quick tips to help find more balance between your work and personal life and get rid of the stress that may be causing career burnout.

  • Leave work at work – Although there are exceptions from time-to-time, commit to making a clear distinction between where your work life ends and your personal life begins.
  • Learn to better manage your time – Try tracking how you spend your time throughout the week to see if there are opportunities to better focus your work activities to create more balance.
  • Schedule your downtime – If you live and die by your planner, then try treating your downtime like a meeting and actually schedule an hour or two here and there for a little R&R.
  • Exercise – From yoga to cycling to weightlifting, find a physical activity that gets your body moving and burn off some of the excess stress that’s throwing your life out of whack.
  • Change careers – If all else fails and your work life continues to negatively impact your personal life, it may be time to ask yourself some difficult questions. Have you lost passion for your career? Is there another job that would be a better fit at this point in your life? And, are you willing and able to make the necessary changes to pursue it?

How do you create better work-life balance for yourself or your employees? What are some of the positive effects that occurred as a result? Let us know in the comments section below!

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