Whether it’s checking emails in bed or answering work calls on the weekends, a healthy personal life can seem out of reach. Learn the art of prioritization to keep both sides of your life in check.

With so many people working remotely or from home, it can be hard to set boundaries. It’s important to have dedicated time for each activity to ensure your focus stays on the right things.

Identify Your Priorities

Having goals and priorities that are aligned with your life’s values helps you to live a happier, more fulfilled, and balanced life. However, sometimes we let our work life get in the way of our personal lives, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and unfulfilled.

Prioritization is the process of identifying your most important tasks and determining how you’ll approach them during the day or week. This can help you avoid wasting time on unimportant activities and ensure that every task you tackle drives value.

For example, your personal priorities may include pursuing a hobby you love, spending quality time with family and friends, or improving your mental health. These can overlap with your career responsibilities, so it’s helpful to consider how to incorporate them into your life. This requires some thought and self-reflection but can make a huge difference in how you feel throughout the day. Once you’ve identified your priorities, it’s important to keep them top of mind so that they aren’t forgotten.

Let Go of Perfectionism

Many people have perfectionistic tendencies that can limit their professional performance and cause stress. Identifying your perfectionism and learning to moderate your standards can help you be more productive and create healthier relationships.

If you’re having difficulty overcoming your perfectionism, working with a therapist can be helpful. A therapist can help you understand the beliefs that are causing your negative self-talk and teach you to practice more mindful behavior.

Another strategy is to journal about your feelings and behaviors, says Drake. Write down every thought that comes up around a particular task and ask yourself if it’s rational. You can also start to look for patterns, and you may find that certain thoughts occur more frequently than others. Ultimately, letting go of perfectionism is about accepting your mistakes and finding joy in the journey rather than the destination. To get started, fill out our brief questionnaire to be matched with a therapist at BetterHelp within 48 hours!

Find a Job You Love

Finding a job that makes you happy isn’t easy. It can feel as elusive as true love, but it’s worth the effort. It will transform how you view work and give your life meaning and purpose.

While it might be tempting to jump on the first opportunity that comes your way, taking the time to research and interview for positions will help you find one that is a good fit for you. When evaluating a new position, focus on what makes it unique and if it meets your logistical non-negotiables.

Imagine if you were waking up every day to a job that was exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding. Think about how much more energy you’d have for your personal life. Think about how proud you’d be of your accomplishments each day. Imagine a work environment that valued your health, supported your friendships and relationships, and prioritized your family. That’s what a dream job looks like.

Maintain Open Communication with Your Employer

It’s probably not possible to completely separate your personal life from your professional one, but establishing healthy boundaries will help you stay in control of both. For example, you may get asked questions about your kids or spouse at work from time to time, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid those conversations.

Rather, you should embrace those moments as opportunities to build trust with your coworkers and show that you’re approachable. This will help to create a workplace culture that promotes open communication and makes it easier for people to ask questions when they need to.

If you’re a leader, it can be intimidating to have team members approach you with complaints, concerns, or suggestions for improvement. But it’s important to keep in mind that the end goal of open communication is to become aware of issues or frustrations sooner and to collect ideas for improving the team. Learn More: Thoughtful Leadership Podcast #104: Setting Boundaries for Leadership.