Sir Richard Branson recently posted his top five tips to achieve a work-life balance.
The businessman – who began his first business at just 16-years-old – is best known for starting the Virgin Group, which is made up of 400 companies.
Comparing it to walking a tightrope, the Englishman said that having a good work-life balance is key to a successful career.
Richard Branson doesn’t underestimate the value of playing hard.
1. Don’t do, just be
The first thing Branson claims to be the key to a good work/life balance? The ability ‘to be’.
The 65-year-old called it one of the best pieces of advice he had received.
He wrote: “Alongside the meetings, appointments and email replies, find time to be inspired, take in the beauty of the world, and laugh with our loved ones. If you slow down, breathe, and be present in the moment you will find balance more easily.”
The mogul went on to urge readers to “remember the to-do list, but don’t forget the to-be list.”
2. Work hard, play hard
It’s no secret that the businessman loves a good party.
Richard Branson, who once said of his own parties “If you can remember a Virgin party, then you probably weren’t there,” says that he believes a work hard/play hard lifestyle is a great way to achieve balance.
He said: “Having a busy career, doesn’t mean that you can’t live your life to the fullest. Prioritize time with your loved ones and put it in your work calendar as you would a meeting. Put on your out of office alert – I had mine on around my birthday. Go on, let your hair down.”
3. Love what you do and do what you love
The Virgin Group founder said he has never thought of his work and home life as separate things – and that’s the way he thinks it should be.
He wrote: “My work is my life, and vice versa. If you can find a career you are passionate about, working hard doesn’t have to be a chore. We spend roughly 80 per cent of our lives at work, so it’s important that we find jobs that we love.”
4. Seek wellbeing in the workplace
Richard Branson went on to encourage people to fight against the “pressures of modern-day hyper-connectivity” and seek out a company that promotes its employees well-being.
Speaking of Virgin Management’s initiatives – which include unlimited leave, flexible working hours, and shared parental leave – Branson said he believes Virgin employees are well looked after.
He said: “By empowering our people with choice, they have been able to find a better balance between their work and private lives, and through this balance they have become happier, more engaged and more productive.”
5. When it all goes wrong, don’t worry
His final bit of advice to readers is not to stress when things go wrong, but to learn from their mistakes.
He posted: “We all fall off the tightrope and make mistakes sometimes. The important thing is to learn from it, get back on, and get it right the next time.”