msafiri_2017_4

Tips / BUSINESS / 53
How to
Manage
Your Work-Life
Balance
Struggling to stay focused?
Finding the right COMFORT
ZONE between the office and
home boosts productivity and
improves wellbeing.
text Joanne Wienen illustrations Edith Carron
1
Take time off (even when busy)
A recent study from Harvard Business
Review showed that managers in countries
with more paid time off get more done. In
other words: spending less time at your
desk means wasting less time there. Even a
quick stroll outside can make a difference,
research by Julie McCarthy from the
University of Toronto Scarborough found.
2
Try shorter workdays
For years, we’ve been told that an
eight-hour workday is optimal, but last
year in Sweden companies experimented
with cutting daily hours down to six.
Some companies have already reported
greater productivity, improved employee
health and reduced absenteeism.
3
Let go of perfection
There is nothing wrong with having
high standards, but sometimes good is
good enough. Getting things done can
be more important than getting things
perfect. So instead of striving for the
impossible, set realistic goals and
celebrate daily achievements.
4
Work smarter
The Pareto principle states that 80
percent of your results are achieved in
20 percent of your time. Figure out what
that 20 percent looks like (and the
actions required to get there) and you’ll
spend more time doing what really
drives you towards your goals.
While we’re
on the subject…
These titles (available to
buy online) offer inspiration.
Rice University professor
Scott Sonenshein reveals
why less is more when it
comes to business and life
in Stretch: Unlock The Power
of Less − and Achieve More
Than You Ever Imagined
(Harper Business, 2017).
The design thinking that’s
responsible for amazing
products and architecture
can also be applied to your
career and life. Bill Burnett
and Dave Evans tell you how
in their book Designing Your
Life: How to Build a Well-
Lived, Joyful Life
(Knopf, 2016).
Bestselling author Charles
Duhigg shows that it is
more important to manage
how you think than what
you think. Smarter Faster
Better: The Secrets of
Being Productive in Life and
Business (Random House
Trade Paperbacks, 2017).