There’s a saying that some people live to work while others work to live. In fact, if you read about the lifestyles of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and CEOs, one thing that may stand out to you is how much they strive to achieve work/life balance, whether it’s ensuring that they have time to read or exercise on a regular basis or making sure that they are always around when their children get up and go to bed. While it’s certainly easier to find work/life balance when you can pay people to take care of some of life’s more tedious tasks, there are things accessible to most people that can improve that ratio.

Give Yourself Permission

One of the first things you may have to do is let yourself seek this balance. The message we often get in life is that nothing is more important than working hard. Hard work is important, but other things are too, including relationships, hobbies and taking care of yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. It can be very liberating to remind yourself that you don’t have to say yes to every request from your employer and that it’s okay to leave at the end of the day even if all your work isn’t finished.

Reduce Your Needs

If you need less money, you can afford to work less. Some people long to step out of a demanding career and do something lower key and less stressful, but they cannot afford to. Others might be working multiple jobs but still struggling to make ends meet. In most cases, it is possible to reduce your spending, including in ways you may not have thought of. For example, you might assume you are going to be paying the same amount in student loans until the loan is paid off, but this is not necessarily the case. You may be able to save money by refinancing your loans with a private lender. With a student loan refinance calculator, you can choose a new rate and term and see what you will pay.

Try Something New

For some people, work begins to occupy a disproportionate amount of their life because they have given up other hobbies and interests or never developed them. This can actually be a great opportunity for you to explore some new activities. You can take some classes or join a local organization for things like painting, running, hiking, singing, language learning, cooking or almost anything else that you might be able to think of. As you set off on this exploration, keep a few things in mind.

First, don’t worry about whether or not you are good at something. It can be fun to do things even if you aren’t the best, so try not to let that interfere with your enjoyment. Second, give things a chance. You don’t have to keep returning to ultimate Frisbee meetups week after week if you’re not enjoying it, but give it two or three chances before giving it up. Finally, give budding friendships around these activities space and time to develop. It may take a while to find the right fit for you.

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Also see: https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/