Do you ever find yourself hanging out with friends, eating dinner with family, or doing something other than work and get an itch to check performance on your accounts? Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that but I don’t think anyone will really understand if you slink off to make some bid changes while everyone else is having fun.
It can be a stressful time of the year for online marketers. Depending on your client, these few weeks will likely have been some of the largest sales days of the year and a lot of work goes into that! We sometimes need reminders to inject a little fun into our workday, keep our motivations up, and help prevent burning out.
While I am no expert on this topic, I’ve generally found myself to be someone who is significantly less stressed than average. That ability to separate work from the rest of my life has a large role to play in that. Consider this a friendly reminder that it’s okay to have a life that doesn’t revolve around PPC!
Work-Life Balance, PPC, and You
Work-life balance is a term I’m sure you see tossed around all the time and the definition is likely different from person to person. Some people don’t mind getting client emails at all hours of the day while others don’t check their email once they’re off the clock. If you think the time spent working on your accounts is a linear relationship to performance, well, that realistically probably is not the case.
Finding the work-life balance that is optimal for you is critical. Establish those boundaries early on in your AM-Client relationship and you’ll all be happier because of it. Know when you work best and prioritize that time. If the client knows they can’t reach you at 8 pm on a Friday, hopefully, they won’t be working and be happier because of it! Look at all that positive change.
By achieving close to your optimal work life balance, you’ll come into work fresher, more creative, and have the ability to tackle problems better. You may spend less time working but get higher quality work done. Less work, better performance for your client, and having more time to do you; sounds ideal to me!
Sometimes fires do happen so I’m not advocating dropping off the grid when you’re off work but finding a manageable balance between work and your life can do wonders.
What Can You Do To Unwind?
If you’re asking this question with no idea, well, that is a whole different set of problems. Taking time for yourself or your family can have profound effects on your mood and well-being. You could even go to the extreme and turn off the computer, put your phone down, and go do something without looking at a screen. Crazy, I know.
In no particular order, here are some ideas that will give you a nice break and let you focus on something other than your broad match modified performance over the last 21 minutes.
- Dive back into a hobby that you’ve been neglecting. Find some blogs that will give you inspiration and carve out time in your schedule.
- It seems like everyone spends more time driving than actually seeing family or friends during the holidays, why not make it more tolerable? Make a throwback playlist of stuff you used to listen to or give a few new artists a spin (Do yourself a favor and check out the Avett Brothers & Sturgill Simpson).
- Find a recipe on Pinterest and make it this weekend. Not only do you concentrate on something other than work but you get delicious food at the end of it.
- Find some podcasts to listen to at work, while commuting, or whenever you have time. These are perfect for tasks that take a lot of time but are relatively mindless (writing ad copy, extensions). If you have an interest in it, I’m betting there is a podcast out there dedicated to it. Spotify has a great selection of podcasts or you can take to the internet and search for something interesting.
- Take your dog for an extra-long walk or go to the dog park.
Final Thoughts
Taking the time to disconnect from work can be difficult for some people. Stress is bound to happen when you’re busy and performance comes back to you. You can try these tips for Stressed-Out PPC Managers to maximize your time at work and make the most of your time away too.
Proper work-life balance can lead to you being more productive, healthier, and ultimately happier. The best part is, it’s something you generally have a lot of control over. Don’t wait and make it your New Year’s Resolution because over 80% of people fail those by February. Start now and get in the habit sooner rather than later. I have a feeling everyone will thank you.
