The desire to maintain a proper work-life balance has become a global expectation. Innovation starts at the top of the pyramid, but leaders need to have the right vision and share it with their employees. Employers need to trust their employees and create an ideal framework that includes innovation and change.

The six commandments for achieving the perfect balance between your professional and personal life varies with every by Urvi Aradhya six people you are likely to come across, but the common elements bear glaring similarities. Married couples largely complain over their inability to devote time to each other, bachelors complain about not having enough 'me' time, and workaholics complain about not having enough time to assault the world with their theories and innovations.

Bringing out the new 'you'

In today's world of work, the adage 'to achieve something, you have to sacrifice something', no longer holds true. If you know how to maintain a regimen, you can get the best of both worlds. Returning home late from work does not necessitate crashing onto your bed, only to awake bleary-eyed and grumpy

Only to awake bleary eyed and grumpy. Married folks tend to bark at each other in a fit of rage, but that does not help either. You need to think practically, "Here's a family I love and I am working for us all." A ten minute siesta can recharge your batteries before you have a chat with your spouse. Opening the door to your baby's bedroom gently and seeing her/ his calm face lost in deep slumber will definitely soo then your nerves and help you in overcoming your fatigue. Grab a healthy snack and read something positive before calling it a day, though not forgetting to remind yourself about that brisk walk at the break of dawn.

Starting your day with a brisk walk or jog (if you aren't a gym person) will invigorate you in a very surprising manner. Make this a habit, including holidays and Sundays. Avoid talking to anyone, and allow the quietude and solace of nature seep into you. You are ready to start your day with a bang! Many married couples are so habituated to this routine that they are seen wearing smiles all through the day and no power on earth can unnerve them. Of course, you need your morning dose of breakfast, because an empty stomach rumbling away at work can be quite embarrassing! Follow this ruthlessly and you will find yourself staring at a new 'you'.

Managing a demanding schedule

Attending to your emails across the day is an unspoken expectation in today's work culture. Working by the clock is now passé. A company's corporate culture plays a key role in assisting their employees to work to their potential and leading a stressfree personal life. Every working professional aspires to work in organisations that empower them to enhance their skills further, offer them excellent growth prospects to attain maximum success, and thus lead happy lives.

Nobody can dispute the fact that a day consists of only 24 hours, and it can be extremely demanding. You need to prioritize every single activity of this 24-hour day. It can never be perfect, but it will certainly make you productive. Time management forms the essence of your productivity. It is very crucial for every individual to invest their resources in the most practical manner; your time, skills and energy should be well-focused on the roles or assignments assigned to you. You have to be practical about what task is sure to engender a positive contribution from amongst the many on your 'to-do' list. Make this a habit. Your productivity will speak for itself. A calm mind is a focused mind and it makes you more innovative, more constructive and more productive. You will start enjoying both the important and mundane jobs equally well, because you will have mastered the art of time and resource management with ease and calm. You bid adieu to stress and the calling is yours. Never, ever, sweat the small stuff; those fall in place once you have taken care of the bigger ones.

Organisations play a key role in assisting their employees to maintain their craving for a balance. For every employee, attempting to perform beyond expectations at the work place, and also be the ideal person who brings home the bacon is a highly challenging role. The situation is similar to being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The new breed of millennials is not merely interested in taking home a pay check once a month. They are also curious and keen to understand how a business develops and contributes towards the society at large. Also, they are interested in understanding the products and revenues, and how they need to contribute and become invaluable assets for the organisation.

Creating a room for 'trust'

The desire to maintain a proper work life balance has become a global expectation. Innovation starts at the top of the pyramid, but leaders need to have the right vision and share it with their employees. Employers need to trust their employees and create an ideal framework that includes innovation and change. Some of the most welcome changes include flexible time schedules, freedom to work from home, offer childcare and eldercare benefits, and welcome new thoughts and ideas which could create new opportunities and add to the development of the organisation. A 'work from home' facility would mean allowing employees to access technology and access files from outside the office, which would demand having explicit trust in the employees. The benefits that ensue are enormous. It reduces the commuting time of those who stay some distance away, saves them a lot of energy which otherwise gets depleted owing to commuting, while giving the employee the comforts of his home to operate from. Productivity increases and both employee and the organisation stand to gain largely from such facilities.

If employers maintain a hawk's eye on their employees from a sheer work perspective and pro-active performances, it is also their prerogative to create a conducive culture at the workplace. The much touted 'open-door' policy exists in only a few organisations, but it should be practiced actively. The management should respect the need for a respite when it is truly required. Company offsites, social gatherings and a conducive environment that offers equal opportunities to growth crossing borders of nepotism go a long way in helping employees integrate the functioning of their two worlds amicably. If taking risks is demanded of employees, employers need to reward heroism. If opportunities are thrown open and only a few produce positive results, employers need to motivate them with a second chance. We all have to stand the test of time, and we can do it only with genuine support and by respecting the needs of each other.