There are many reasons that people want to work less, but for this article I will focus on my own experience.
I have always had long hours in the office and I was unhappy with it at times.
I never found time for myself or my family.
I felt like my job controlled me too much and even when I was at home I worried about what might happen if something went wrong in the office.
If things were good in the office, then I would still worry about what could go wrong next.
I would often feel that my job was the most important thing in my life and I just didn’t have time to do anything else. It was exhausting and sometimes I felt like dying.
The problem, however, is that this did not give me the opportunity to find time for myself or my family.
But I wasn’t aware of this back then.
So I continued working hard, feeling overwhelmed by everything around me and thinking that there was no way out.
Later on I realized that working myself to death was not going to serve me in the long run.
I needed time for myself, and around the start of this year I decided to change.
I decided to work shorter hours and give my family more time.
It was amazing how things changed for me.
Within a month or so I felt happier at work and with life in general.
I started to feel like I was in control.
I had time to do the things I enjoyed and even to work on other projects that interested me.
The results were instant, but they also made me more motivated and my job performance increased as a result.
It was an incredible feeling, though of course it wasn’t always easy getting there because it is a huge change compared to my previous experience in life.
Now I want to share those valuable insights with others.
Here are 24 ideas for how you can also get some time for yourself and your family.
1) You don’t need to keep up with everyone else.
You don’t have to be the fastest or the best at everything, there is no pressure on you to work harder than anyone else and no one will expect you to outshine them just because of your position or their skills.
Be yourself, be a normal person and take it easy.
Accept that you are not the best at everything and give yourself the time to improve.
2) Don’t listen so much to what everyone else says.
Learn how to say no and stop judging others just because they live a different life from you.
Stop worrying about other people.
Stop listening to every conversation in a room and follow your own ideas and convictions as much as possible.
3) Listen to yourself.
This is the most important lesson.
When you listen to yourself, you will know what’s right for you and what’s wrong for you.
You’ll know whether your work is interesting and whether it makes a difference to people.
Spread this one out over as many days as possible, then learn from it and follow your own inner voice instead of relying on others’ opinions about what you should do.
4) Don’t do too many things at the same time.
Doing a lot of different things makes you feel stressed and unhappy.
Learn to focus on one task at a time and you will feel more peaceful every day.
5) Think before you act.
Every morning when you’re making your way to work, take a few minutes to think about what you are doing and to consider whether it is right for you and whether it’s worth all that effort.
6) Take a break.
If you are tired, take a break instead of working through the feeling or putting in extra hours to try to make up for it.
7) Be strong.
This one is not obvious and it doesn’t work as well as others on this list, but if you do have time for yourself, try to be strong about your own needs and don’t accept that you are not allowed to do what you want in life.
8) Do not let other people push you around.
Don’t be afraid of losing your job or some financial benefit that disappears the day your boss finds out that you’re not working for him or her 24/7.
Take care of yourself and do it for yourself and your family, otherwise no one will ever help you to do so.
9) Build your own motivation.
If you have the motivation, then you’ll know more clearly what’s right for you and what’s wrong for you in life.
If not, then try to find some inspiration and let it guide you along your journey to a better life.
10) Focus on your own goals and ambitions.
Do not work so hard just because someone else wants something of you or because they want to get more out of you than they already do.
Do what’s right for you and don’t let anyone else control you.
11) Don’t be afraid of change.
Take time to stop and think about your life, about the things that have happened in the past, about the things that may happen in the future, and don’t be afraid of any challenge or obstacle.
12) It’s okay to be selfish sometimes.
Sometimes you just have to do everything for yourself and your family.
No matter what other people say, take time to do the things you enjoy and give yourself the chance to be happy.
13) Don’t worry about what others think about your life.
Life is tough for everyone, but it’s too short for unnecessary worries about whether or not other people will like what you’re doing in life.
Just do it for yourself and let the rest go.
14) Don’t compare your life to others.
Do what’s right for you and let everyone else do the same or stop doing something that is not working.
Don’t feel guilty or ashamed of anything that you do, follow your own interest and take care of yourself and your family as best as you can.
15) Don’t give up when things get hard in life.
Don’t be afraid of any challenge or obstacle and never give up when you’re facing something new and different.
16) Don’t try too hard to be perfect in everything.
Don’t try so hard to work yourself into the ground so that no one finds out that you have a weak side.
It will only make you unhappy, but never let anyone know what’s really going on in your life if it isn’t right for them to find out.
17) You’re not the only one with problems.
You’re not the only one who is tired and stressed out.
Everyone has a job, but you can choose to be happy and enjoy your life instead of being unhappy and burning out at work.
18) Learn to say no when you know it’s bad for you.
Learn to ask for help when you need it and learn to follow your own ideas instead of doing what everyone else expects from you.
You don’t have to keep up with everyone else, only with yourself.
19) Take care of your health.
Health is the most important thing for a happy and successful life and you can’t do anything if you aren’t healthy or don’t have enough energy to do it.
Take time every day to exercise and eat right, then follow whatever diet you decide that will work best for you.
20) Don’t try to be perfect in everything.
Learn to accept your weaknesses and learn to improve your strengths.
21) Don’t take it all so seriously.
Find something about your life worth enjoying and make it a priority to enjoy it every day.
22) Learn how to be yourself instead of being someone else’s image of who you are and what you should do in life.
23) Enjoy life as much as possible without worrying about other people’s expectations about your actions or goals in life.
24) You can achieve anything that you want in life.
You can learn many things, work hard, and do whatever you want to do every day.
This is your life, who are you waiting for?
Alternative ways to make an income
I sincerely hope these tips help you to shift your mindset and give up on working yourself to the bone for the rest of your life.
Of course, it could be that you want to stop working 9-to-5 and for other people. If that’s you, congratulations! It’s an amazing decision to make. However, if you’re looking for a more traditional approach to making money, I have some options listed below.
1) Online businesses
A lot of people are starting their own business online and it’s an option that’s becoming more and more popular every year.
Online businesses are not just limited to websites though; there are also opportunities to work from home in different areas of the market, such as healthcare, real estate, digital marketing and communication agencies, home services and more.
2) Part-time work
Many people are working part-time in order to earn some extra money and pay off debts, but it’s always possible to go full-time too.
3) Freelance work
There are many opportunities to use the skills you already have and make additional income.
You can become a freelancer using websites such as Upwork, Fiverr or Freelancer.com and apply for a myriad of jobs there.
Lacking motivation
Some people are lacking in motivation to start a new job or become a freelancer.
If this is you, don’t worry! This is a very common problem and there are many things you can do to help yourself to get back in the state of mind to work hard.
1) Think about your family and close friends
Often, when we’re feeling exhausted, we’ve unwittingly started to focus so much on ourselves that we lose connection with people around us.
An antidote to this is to focus on people who you love and want to make happy.
You can write down a list of all the people you love (it could be your spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends or anyone else) and put it somewhere you’ll see it every day.
On it, write what they mean to you and why it matters how much you achieve in life so that way you’ll have a very clear objective in front of your eyes.
2) Start trying to think about your future instead of your present
We tend to think a lot about ourselves and what we’re doing at the moment and, because of this, we forget about the future.
But, the truth is that the future is too important and we have to think about it all the time.
You can start by looking for a job that you’ll enjoy and try to finish as much as possible (while also earning money) without feeling tired or disappointed.
You’ll see that this will keep your mind focused on the future and it will help you to achieve the things you want if you ask yourself “What do I want for my future?” every day.
3) Set clear goals
Setting goals is one of the best ways to achieve something in life and, if you don’t have them written down somewhere, take a few minutes to do it.
Write down all the things that you want in life and try to focus on the present (a big part of achieving things is focusing on what you’re doing right now) while thinking about the future.
4) Start with small goals
It’s generally better to set a series of small goals than to set one big goal.
The result will be the same but you’ll feel more motivated because getting a small goal means that you’re closer to achieving the bigger one.
5) Take time and rest between goals
It’s easy to get caught up in a race and try to achieve everything from today on, but that’s not realistic and can also push you too hard and make you feel unhappy in the long run.
Make sure to take some time to rest and absorb in your life, then try setting new goals based on what you’ve learnt.
6) Ask for help
Sometimes, instead of doing things yourself, it’s better to ask someone else for help.
If you’re doing something that you don’t feel comfortable doing by yourself, get someone else to help and request a ‘mentor’.
You’ll find that this will be much easier to do and will probably also help you to get a better result in the end.
7) Surround yourself with the right people
Sometimes, it’s necessary to remove the aspects of your life that are holding you back and keep your eyes on what is important.
This means that sometimes, you have to say goodbye (or at least remove) the things that can distract you from achieving your goals.
In this case, you can’t avoid making new friends and finding people who are going through the same thing as you.
Surrounding yourself with the right people is a key ingredient to success.
People who will have a positive impact on your life during your time of need or when something bad happens to you will be some of the best things about life.
8) Get out of the mindset of always working
Sometimes, when you’re thinking about work, you think that there’s no point doing it.
This can be because you feel like all the work is going to be useless and because you’re not sure if the things that you’re working on are really important.
Setting goals when you’re feeling frustrated
If you’re feeling frustrated and exhausted with life, it can be very difficult to set clear and attainable goals.
If this is the case for you, you may benefit from Jeanette Brown’s new online course, Life Journal.
Life Journal teaches you how to create a life that you love. You’ll learn about goal setting, finding time for yourself and how to live with passion.
Jeanette Brown has designed the course so that you learn how to become your own coach.
Here’s what people who have taken the course say:
“Thank you so much! I’ve looked at my Life Journal and I’ve been surprised with some things. It’s a great process!”
– Camila
“I never ever thought making a Life Journal would be so easy. Thank you so much for sharing this.”
– Mafalda
“This is a great tool to help me make goals and be disciplined!”
– Kayla
Turning frustrations into personal power
Feeling frustrated and exhausted doesn’t need to mean that you stop work entirely.
In fact, there is a shamanic technique that can help you transform the frustration you feel into strength and personal power.
This technique has been used by shamans and shamanesses for thousands of years and is being communicated by the legendary shaman Rudá Iandê in his free masterclass on turning life frustrations into personal power.
Rudá’s masterclass is a magical experience. You’ll learn about the fundamentals of shamanism so that you can begin to develop your own magical abilities.
You’ll learn how to transform life’s frustrations into personal power and strength so that you can start living your life with a new perspective.
In this masterclass, Rudá will also teach you some truly advanced techniques that will help you develop a powerful connection with yourself and the world around you.
