It isn’t rare for people today to leave family second while focusing more of their attention and their free time on their jobs, but your social life should never be of second importance, imagine the sadness of a kid that was just told that his parent couldn’t attend his baseball game because he was too busy making an excel sheet or how disillusioned can your significant other feel when you cancel a romantic date again because of work.

You might think that the first example about the kid is exaggerated, but according to a British study, the most common regret in parents is not being present in their children’s lives due to working too much.

While giving your all to be the best at work is something to be proud, remember that your family and friends are just as important, as they can give you fuel, support and reasons to achieve success which is why we made this list with 5 ways to balance your work and your family life.

1. Respect your free time:It might sound like a simple advice, but the truth is that there are times in which we dedicate some of our free time to our jobs, things like receiving and making job-related phone-calls and emails can disrupt your free time. You can appoint yourself a ’do-not-disturb’ schedule that can respect both your free time and your job.
2. Don’t forget your promises:It isn’t uncommon for people to forget promises because of work, so instead of just trying to remember everything using memory alone, you can write them in post-it notes to stick them on your desk, fridge or just everywhere! Having clear goals in plain sight will give them more ‘weight’ in your mind and you won’t be as likely to forget them.
3. Make plans:There’s no support like the one your family gives you, so why not repay them with cool weekends? You can discuss plans with your family or friends so you can have fun with them on your off-work days. Ask your family which activities they would like to do, and keep in mind that you will gain bonus points if you’re the one proposing your ideas!

If you’d like to keep in touch with your friends you can also invite them to your home and do simple things like chat and eat or play video games, you can also use of this opportunity to show off any culinary skill you may have, give them a reason to visit you every now and then!

4. Share your home responsibilities: While spending your free time doing your home responsibilities isn’t necessary bad, you shouldn’t be doing it all, you could convince your significant other to share equally any necessary tasks that should be done at home.
5. Sort your priorities: Just because you want to make the most of your free time to spend it with your family doesn’t mean you should diminish your work responsibilities. Something really important like taking care of a sick parent can be enough reason to skip a day at work, but taking a day-off just because you feel like it is just being irresponsible.

If you want a life filled with happiness you should seek to have a healthy family life, that’s why you should give your family the appreciation and importance they deserve so use these tips to have fun with them and enjoy more your free time without damaging your work efficiency!