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Feeling overwhelmed by work pressure and struggling to find balance in your life? You’re not alone. In a recent episode of LinkedIn’s “SPARKED” podcast, Google’s Productivity Advisor, Laura Mae Martin, shared three powerful exercises designed to help you regain control over your time and enhance your overall productivity. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively manage your work and life priorities, reduce stress, and improve your well-being.

Let’s dive into these transformative techniques that can supercharge your productivity and lead you to a more balanced existence!

3 Exercises to manage work-life balance

1. Get your priorities right

The first step in managing your time effectively is to define what truly matters to you. This simple exercise involves taking a moment to list out your top personal and professional priorities. Consider the following questions:

• What are your key responsibilities at work?
• What personal goals do you want to achieve?
• Are there any relationships that need more attention?

Once you’ve created your list, rank these priorities based on their importance and urgency. This will give you a clearer view of where to focus your energy. It will also help you identify any potential distractions that might be pulling you away from what’s essential. You can allocate your time and resources by focusing on your top priorities.

Tip: To check how you are doing Laura Mae Martin suggests printing out your calendar from the last 3 weeks and seeing where have you been spending most of your time.

2. Imagine a no-plan day

Ever wondered how successful people manage to stay on top of their game? They got a sweet routine to follow but here’s the tricky part.

Well, it turns out that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating the perfect routine. According to Laura Mae Martin, a great way to figure out your most productive hours is to imagine having a free day with no plans for tomorrow with the freedom to complete tasks whenever.

By following this “launch-and-iterate” approach, you can identify the times of day when you’re most productive and use that knowledge to your advantage. Laura also recommends keeping a journal to track productive working hours, helping you understand your natural rhythms and make the most of your “work mode”.

3. Prepare for work

Sometimes we may procrastinate on a task because it is not the right time to do it, or maybe we just lack the willpower. Google’s advisor, Laura, has an interesting approach to tackling this.

She suggests pretending you have an assistant and asking yourself what things should be set up for you to get started. For example, if you need to work on a business plan, start by making a file and naming it. Once you have the file ready to work on, you are more likely to finish the task rather than procrastinate.

The bottom line

Incorporating these three exercises can significantly improve how you manage your work and life. By consciously choosing where to focus your energy, you’ll find a greater sense of balance and productivity.

Remember, the goal isn’t perfection but progress. By adopting these strategies, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the demands of work and life, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and productive existence. So, why not start today? Prioritise your well-being and watch your productivity soar!