Achieving and maintaining a healthy work/life balance can be tricky. A lot of elements comprise our daily lives: Going to work, running errands, cleaning your home, cooking, taking care of children, attending family and friend events and activities. There’s a lot to fit in. Many working adults often find themselves feeling frustrated and exhausted with too much on their plates.

So, what’s the trick to finding the perfect work/life balance? While the recipe for success is going to be different for everyone, there are things you can do to help. We’ll discuss some tips below.

Organize Your Time

Do you find yourself often reaching the end of the day and realizing you didn’t take care of 50% of what you set out to do? It’s time to make a to-do list. Each evening, take a few minutes to list what the next day’s tasks are. Put even the most mundane tasks on there and tick them off as completed the following day; This will help keep you on track, but also give you a great feeling of completion. Be sure to organize your tasks by priority, starting with those that have preset deadlines. You can create a separate work and personal task tracking list, but remember to not just prioritize your work to-do’s.

Learn to Say No

Many of us sign ourselves up for more than we could or should commit to. When we do this, it creates a situation where you can fail to meet obligations or creates unnecessary stress. We’re not saying to tell your boss no when they ask for your help on a project, but if you find yourself being constantly asked by coworkers to take on some of their tasks, or if your neighbor is always asking for your help - learn to constructively say no some of the time. Remember, your time is also valuable.

Set Strict Working Hours

If you work from home, or if you find yourself constantly bringing work home to complete after hours, get out of the habit of working during all of your spare time. Setting strict hours for when you work and when you spend time on personal things will give you a sense of relief.

Track Your Time

It’s easier to plan for things and schedule appropriately when you know how long tasks take to complete. Take a week and time your regular tasks to see how much time your spending on completing them. This can help you better organize your schedule.

Prioritize the Things You Love

Work is important, but so is your family, hobbies, and personal life. Try to remember to prioritize doing the things you love as much as possible. Taking time out to pursue a beloved hobby, or catch a movie with a friend, can feel refreshing and reset your mood.

Use Apps

You probably have a smartphone, and you should definitely take advantage of its app capabilities. Try out a scheduling or task organizing app on your phone; These can help keep you organized on the run with reminders, checklists, and calendars. You’ll feel better knowing you haven’t missed something important.

Schedule Breaks

Break times are important - they are refresh points throughout your day. If you work from home, set times during the day where you can step away. While at work, try not to work through your breaks and take advantage of your time to breath and reset.

Use Your Vacation Time

If you have vacation time, use it. Getting away from the daily grind can be just the thing you need to rebalance your busy life.

Get Some Sleep

Most working adults don’t get enough sleep. Understandably, a lot of times there’s a lack of sleep due to trying to take advantage of non-working hours. Unfortunately, this isn’t healthy and can lead to you feeling burnt out after a while. Try to get a good night's sleep at least a few times a week; You’ll notice a big difference in your mood and feel better physically, too.

Take Care of Your Health

Your health is important. It’s tempting to put off doctor’s appointments and physical check-ups but don’t. Prioritizing your health is valuable and means you’ll be around longer to be there for the ones you love and to do what you love. Plus, when you’re proactive about your health, it often means there’s one last thing to worry about.