The last year was an eye-opener for a lot of us who were sleepwalking in our lives and not making the necessary changes that can make us more happy, relaxed, or even make more money says Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA.
Our 9-5 does tend to take a big part of our day and if we try to sum up the hours we spent working in the office the number goes really high.
Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA says it’s important for us to make the best of the rest of the time we have.
Think like this, you have 24 hours a day, your 9-5 takes 9 hours (considering 1-hour commute) so you are left around 5-6 hours depending on your lifestyle and sleep patterns.
With those so little and precious hours you get, you can use them to spend time with your loved ones and by spending the time it does not include just binge-watching till the end of the night,
If you hate your job you can work on the side hustles that can make you happier and might make you more money.
Or you can work on your passions and hobbies like music, improv, etc. that can help you ease any stress you face at your workplace.
But what if you want to just rest?
I get it, your day job is a challenge in itself so you can either take time to schedule ahead and take 2-3 rest days or weekends off.
But your happiness and relationships require effort, and working on yourself is the name of the game, so you constantly need to learn new things and work on your favorite hobbies.
As a bonus, all of this can help you avoid any regrets whatsoever.
So let’s see what can you do to make the best of the rest of the day without burning out:
Working on yourself:
By this I don’t just mean working out or eating well, you can do that in fact you should, but I am talking about working on your personality and skills that you use daily.
By improving what you do in your day-to-day operations can help you progress further and can bring more and exciting opportunities for you.
Considering commute hours your 9-5 could easily become 8-6, and after coming home its is highly unlikely you would be able to just throw yourself at this, so let’s add another hour.
Now you have another 4 hours to do what you love, use your hobbies and passions as a method of relaxing and over time you won’t feel that much tired again.
And that can be anything from painting to creating YouTube videos etc, this is your time remember don’t fall into the dogma of overthinking.
Health Is Wealth:
No kidding the quote we might have heard in 2nd grade is literally a golden one, by prioritizing your health both physically and mentally and making healthy habits can reap you more benefits than you think.
During the pandemic and in self-isolation people were socially disconnected and with the “work from home” few things were made worse, but why?
Although remote work gave people opportunities to stay home and stay with their loved ones, people whose only social circle was outside or in the office felt more alone than ever.
And not to mention how for some people work from home became working 24*7 because of their superiors.
In fact, one report also shows how the pandemic affected peoples mental health below:
According to the report: “In January 2021, 23 percent of adults in the U.S. reported having more mental stress than the previous month, while only 9 percent reported less mental stress. This statistic shows the changes in mental stress among adults in the U.S. from April 2020 to January 2021, by month.“
So during times like these, you can prioritize your health to function properly and avoid burnout which can only lead to a darker place.
Here is how you can do it:
- Meditation is good, but if you find it hard to do try paying attention and breathing when listing to the music you love.
- Virtually connect with your coworkers on Slack.
- Learn exercises that are beginner-friendly and the ones that are flexible with your routine.
- Don’t stress yourself just because you are not happy.
The last point is important, forcing yourself to feel good whether at home or as you get back to the office is a product of overthinking and should be avoided.
The point is to take care of you not to strain yourself to look happy.
Side hustles:
Lastly, you can work on your side hustles which can be a mix of your hobby + Income.
In one survey one in three Americans have side hustles today and the number would only increase after the “global unemployment moment”.
A recent post from CNBC clearly states that workers are quitting their jobs to prioritize their mental health and keep their passions first.
Your job may feel secure to you, but you have seen how quickly tables can turn and put you up for unemployment.
So it is more than important to have at least one sources of income that is: a) flexible b) profitable
When can you get the time to do this?
A lot of side hustles are flexible and can be easily fit into your schedules, or you can even choose to do them on weekends.
Things like flipping stuff on eBay, freelancing your services, or opening up a dropshipping store can literally replace your income over time, and you can do what you love.
There are endless stories from how a “28-year-old earns $378,000 a year on Fiverr” or “How a 33-year-old turned $200 into $1 million in 92 days selling Kevlar pants online”
We live in an exciting time, and therefore side hustles are really something you should think about more often.
But in case you are happy with your job and think it is secure enough, you might be making less money or not enough to cover your vacations or any other dreams you want to accomplish.
Side hustles can help you achieve that without risking your job or making bad financial decisions.
Final note:
Your job takes a big part of your life so the first thing you should make sure of is that you love what you do and believe that you are making a difference.
But there is clearly more life outside of cubicle or home in case you have “work from home”, so by exploring that not only you are making yourself take risks and explore your creativity and other aspects of your personality but also ensuring that you are not missing out on life.
While resting is good but sometimes you can do more things that can make you or others around you more happy and cheerful.
And lastly don’t kill yourself over a job that could replace you in a day.
Thank you for reading! Follow Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA.