No matter how busy you get, you should do these things for yourself

Do you find yourself drowning in a vortex of overwork? Have you turned into a work junkie who needs his daily fix of 12 hours of work and two hours of sleep? If you answered yes to these, it’s a sign that you’re inviting trouble. Not only do you run the risk of burning out too early, but a work-life imbalance can immensely reduce the quality of your work. No one ever wants to hear that their work got affected because they worked too much. Such irony should be left to sitcoms. Your life should be a mixed bag, and here are five things you must do for yourself, every week, in order to bring out the best in you, both at work and outside.

Spend quality time with family

The phrase ‘quality time’ has often been misunderstood. Simply making your presence seen at the occasional family picnic or birthday party doesn’t cut it. You aren’t doing anyone a favour. Your family deserves your attention as much as you need their love and support. Taking your family out for a nice, long drive or taking them out for a movie is a great idea. But don’t limit yourself to just that; you should also make it a point to involve yourself in their daily lives.

Catch up with friends over a hot cuppa

Unwinding with friends is a great way to release pent up energy. But that doesn’t mean you bore them to death with your triumphs or failures. But if you do, you stand the risk of becoming unrelatable. Slowly you’ll find yourself missing out on the latest gossip, inside jokes and even being asked out. When you meet friends, be who they know you to be and not your business card.

Watch the latest flick

Watching a film in a theatre is like tuning your mind. It helps give your brain hemispheres a much-needed rest. Movies can serve as an effective (and necessary) distraction from your daily life and can even open your mind up to new experiences. Not only will this let your creative juices flow, it will also help you feel refreshed after a long day’s work.

Organise house parties

Is there a better way to spend your day than looking forward to a spectacular night? Organise pool parties, house parties or whatever it takes for you to get your life chakra rolling. If you think you can’t do it at your place, start a Facebook page or a WhatsApp group with your friends, where people can post details of their house parties and you can join in on the fun.

Engage in a hobby

There’s no better way to activate your mind than to use it at something you enjoy. Find yourself a new hobby, or better still, rekindle your affair with an old hobby. From gardening to playing music to making YouTube videos, your choice of hobby can even determine the quality of your work. That it comes in handy in winning friends at work is a great reason in itself to engage in one.

At the end, I’d just like to say that don’t make your work your life. Make your life work instead.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)