Are you unable to switch off from work when you are at home or even on holiday? Has your significant other complained that you spend too much time at work? You may be a workaholic.
While this tendency may be taking your career places, your commitment to your job can result in major issues in your romantic relationships and it has the potential of altering the direction your relationship takes. Here’s how to balance the two:
Prioritise – The good news is that you can have it all, both a healthy relationship and a rewarding career.
You do not need to sacrifice one aspect of your life for the other to flourish. The trick is knowing when to put weight on which aspect of your life.
You can start this adjustment by building a strong foundation for both your love and office life.
When the people in both of these sections of your life understand that they are valuable to you, having a late night at the office is unlikely to shake your love life.
Neither will taking some time off threaten your career.
Be present - You may not manage to always be with your significant other when you should or be at work when you are required, but you can make a conscious effort to always be present where you are.
This means not checking your tab for work emails during dinner or a quiet night in with your significant other. Both of these two aspects of your life deserve an undivided attention and devotion.
Schedule romance – It may not sound so romantic but to get fulfilment from these two areas of your life, you may need to schedule time for your personal relationships just as you schedule your business meetings.
Schedule phone calls, dates and even intimacy. This also means keeping track of how much time of your life you spend doing what. This way you can plan to refocus most of your time to the things that matter most to you.
Accept imperfection – Accept that you may not be able to reach the kind of impeccable success that you hope for in either aspect of your life.
If you are a few minutes late or if you cannot attend an event with your significant other, do not beat yourself up for it. It doesn’t mean that you failed, only that you are human.
Separate – To have success in these two aspects of your life, it is best if you compartmentalise.
Keep your love life away from work and vice versa. When you are with your significant other, give them all your attention and do not let your work duties be a distraction.
When you are working on a project at work, do not daydream about your significant other. This also means limiting the amount of work-related focus that you and your partner share.
Talk to him about work but do not let this overshadow other aspects of your relationship.
Stay positive – Jobs can sometimes wear one down but whatever is going on at the office, do not let it wear your relationship down. When leaving the office, leave all baggage at the door. Also do the same with your love life when you are leaving home for work.
Remain connected – Every career or business has that time of the month or the year when the workload is unusually heavier.
During this time, make use of the technological advances that we now have at our finger tips to stay connected to your partner.
This way, while you are away they know you are thinking of them.
Rock your biological schedule – Each person has a particular time of day when they are most creative and energetic and a time when their energy levels are slumped.
Understanding this helps you plan what time of day you assign either to work or to your love life and you will not be at work doing nothing and feeling as if you are wasting valuable time.
Also, find out the things that refuel you. It could be music or swimming and it will keep you from long stretches of feeling worn out or resentful.
