4 solutions to gaining a better work-life balance

From an early age many of us taught the importance of working hard and maintaining a strong work ethic. While we agree that hard work is what ultimately pays off, many people seem to often blur the line between working hard and over working.

What is over working?

There isn’t a black and white answer to what over working is, just as there aren’t a set number of hours, which once crossed, class you as over working or being over worked. It is instead relative to the individual concerned. For some people working a 40-hour week is the absolute maximum, for others working into evenings and occasional weekends isn’t a massive issue. Neither one of these approaches to work is better than the other if the individual involved feels content in what they’re doing.

It does however become an issue if the person starts to feel that their work is taking away from other aspects of their life, whether that be time spent with their family or preventing them from doing their hobbies. This is where it becomes important to pursue a change in order to get back that work-life balance.

Solutions to getting a work-life balance

Identifying the problem is one thing however finding a solution for it can be difficult. There are a few things you can do but neither are necessarily easy so take a considered approach when making your decision.

Reducing your working hours – You need to look into whether your current role will allow you to reduce your hours and if so would you be able to sustain your desired standard of living on a reduced wage. If the answer is yes to both of these then consider yourself as one of the lucky ones and take the opportunity.

Look for another role – We understand that for the bulk of people the above scenario probably won’t be the case. If you aren’t able to reduce your hours in your current role then look for an alternative position. While working shorter hours might prevent progression in the long term, you need to ask yourself whether progressing up the career ladder while being unsatisfied with your current work-life balance is actually worth it.

Start your own business – Another solution to gaining a work-life balance which allows you to enjoy life the way in which you please is through being your own boss. Yes, starting your own company can help you work the hours you wish and if you offer the right services it can also allow you to earn a considerable income. As we’ve previously stated there is a lot of work that goes into starting your own business and so while you are setting it up you should be warned that the work-life balance will get thrown out of the window due to the added work that’s likely to be needed doing. However, once you manage to establish yourself you can then reap the rewards of your work.

Buy a franchise – Alternatively, if you’d like a more instant solution then you could try buying a franchise. This would remove the added work that setting up a new business involves as you wouldn’t be faced with having to develop a brand from scratch. If you have the capital to pay the franchise fee you’ll be pretty much set to start being your own boss.

Regardless of what you might be considering to overcome the work-life balance issue, we’d recommend you take your time when making your decision. Don’t leave a role on a whim, make sure you have a plan of what you’re going to do before taking any kind of action.

If the franchise route is one that appeals to you then the Opportunity Marketing Franchise could be just what you’re looking for. If you have marketing experience and would like to find out more then feel free to get in touch.