Most medical sales representatives don't have terrific work-life balances, even though most of the people typically work from home and spend little time in their home or work offices. Maybe you just aren't getting the personal days off that you need to recharge and de-stress. Balancing work with the rest of your life is a healthy balance that usually leads to having better mental and physical health, plus a greater chance of meeting those looming sales quotas.
The thing is, however, getting your work-life balance set up isn't easy, so here are some useful tips to help steer you down the right path.
Plan Some Time for Yourself
Do you live and die by a schedule? Have you got your entire day down on paper, with everything that you need to do listed in one-hour or half-hour increments? If so, then you will benefit from tacking some "me time" onto the schedule. Allocation of a half or so at the beginning or end of your day will force you to spend that time doing something other than work, thus keeping your work-life balance under control.
Improve Your Time Management Skills
If you feel like you can never get enough done or find it incredibly difficult to carve out time for yourself because your to-do list is so long, it is time for you to improve your time management skills. Do you have a specific system that you use, such as the Pomodoro method? Or do you just wing it? Whatever you choose, it is essential to find a method to manage your time effectively so that you can get your work life balance in order without suffering from the guilt of that giant list of tasks.
Learn to Say "No" with Intent
No" is perhaps the hardest thing any sales rep, including medical sales reps, finds himself doing-even himself. You might feel that if you say no now, you will never be offered anything else, or work goes into the hands of another person who will do a much better job, ensuring you will never get this opportunity again. It is time to break out of this mentality. While it's okay to say yes to things once in a while, you don't want to end up as that person who accepts every single extra work-related task, no matter what it is. Not only will this hurt your reputation, but you won't get much of a break. Rather, learn to say "no" when necessary.
Don't punish yourself for requesting a vacation
Nothing is wrong with needing to take some time to oneself. Nothing, either is wrong with spending an hour or two on nothing. People have the mindset so firmly entrenched-that every minute of every day must be productive-that they feel guilty for taking a break. It is high time to break out of that mentality and to get ready to spend an hour or two doing something you love, like reading, doom scrolling, or just watching TV, even though it is not productive.
Make Sure You Can Achieve Your Daily Objectives
If you end each day with a long list of things to be done and find yourself angry at yourself for not accomplishing everything on the list, it is time to revisit that list. You must be realistic about your daily goals and accept that you cannot do everything; rather, you can put some of them aside for the next day, thereby providing enough breathing room in your schedule. You can then take that time away to engage in something unrelated to work.
Engage in Fun Activities Every Day
It is of course, a challenge of sorts: do something fun every single day. What do you like to do? Do you like reading? Grab a latte? Take in the sporting events? Knit beanies for your cats? Ride your bike around the local park? No matter what you choose for fun, be sure to leave a little time every day in your calendar. Work it into your schedule so you don't forget to keep that time blocked off.
Keeping a Healthy Work-Life Balance
These six tips will help you, in one way or another, start to realize the importance of your work-life balance, and how to maintain it once you get going. It's better for your health, both mental and physical, if you learn how to get work done and have fun, too. After all, you and your family will remember more of those fun times than the work ones. So, as they say, "work smarter, not harder.