Want more work life balance? Use a family calendar to lighten the load 

Using your family planner and establishing a family operating system can help you live a more balanced life

10.14.2021

Ah, that elusive “work life balance” everyone talks about and craves, but very few actually achieve. The truth is that there is no such thing as exact balance. Besides that fact that we are human, work life balance is hard to perfect, as it, well, takes a lot of work. Fortunately there is a way to accomplish it in a much easier way than going it alone. Grab your family calendar and put it to work for you. When it comes to family planners and calendars, we are biased to using Hearth Display, of course. It’s visible to your entire family to help ensure everyone stays on the same page, yet is with you on-the-go thanks to the connectivity on your phone and other devices. These features are just the tip of the iceberg though. To learn more about Hearth and everything it offers, click here.

Anyway… now that you have your family planner handy, let’s get started:

• Schedule it.
  Yes – we give you permission to schedule balance into your life. We could barely balance pre-kids, and after kids everything is up in the air. When you plan for family time on your calendar, you are prioritizing it, making it more likely to happen. Make time for the things that are important to you, not just what work or society deems “necessary.” 
• Say no.
  We always need this reminder: No is a complete sentence. It’s not just about what you say yes to, it is probably more so what you say no to. Your time is very valuable and saying yes all the time leads to stress and burnout. By saying no to work and events, you can say yes to family time or even me time. We believe in the “put your own mask on first” mentality. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you won’t adequately be able to take care of your family. Look at your family calendar prior to committing. Even if you’d like to participate, seeing your family planner helps you visualize if you actually have time or not. Make sure you leave time for things other than work, even if it is just intentional “white space” to create defined breathing room in your schedule.
• Add accountability.
  We come up with excuses and talk ourselves out of things all the time. It’s not that the work life balance isn’t important, but sometimes we just push through when we shouldn’t. Hearth Display has a Routine Builder that makes it easy to master new habits and truly make them a part of your life. Trackability and visibility is key to making work life balance changes in our life more than just a phase.

Unsure where to start? Start by scheduling a family day. Take it easy and make sure there is one day a month set aside for a “special day.” Whether it involves sleeping in and pancakes or a local creamery and a museum, this will be time spent away from screens, connecting with each other. Getting away from stress and anxiety of school and work schedules is so freeing, even if just for a couple hours. Recharging and resting are increasingly important in this fast-paced society.

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