Do you often return home late from work, too tired and haggard to talk to anyone? Were you not invited to your friend’s party because s/he thought you would be busy working? How long has it been since you last took a vacation? Is your social life crumbling miserably? If your answer is yes to most of these questions, then, it’s about time you get familiar with a term called ‘work-life balance’ and become friends with it.

Work-life balance, a term first coined in 1970s, has become one of the core values of numerous organisations around the world today. Employers are constantly motivating their workers to follow a balanced life routine amidst the recent strenuous recession, when juggling between professional and personal commitments have become everyone’s dilemma.

But, how should one keep this balance? Does work-life balance simply mean one should allot equal number of hours to their personal and professional commitments? Technically, there is no specific way of maintaining this equilibrium. It can vary from individual to individual and changes from time to time for everyone.

A website called WorkLifeBalance.com has explained it in a very interesting way: it identifies this balance as a ladder—one leg of which is sustained by the individual himself/herself and the other, by the organisation, leading to job satisfaction and increased productivity for both. Let’s see how this ladder can help you attain a perfect equilibrium between work and personal activities.

The right leg of the work-life balance ladder is the individual’s responsibility, i.e., your responsibility. You need to realise that, in order to achieve bigger and better outcomes at work, you should spend some time away from your desk to rejuvenate and think out-of-the-box. Work will continue, no matter what; if you’re not available, someone else will take care of it. But at the end of the day, it’s your life that should count more than anything else. So, start prioritising and sharing workload, learn to say no and stop spending too much time correcting minute details; after all, nothing is perfect.

Many of us are addicted to checking our official emails by the hour, replying to colleagues’ messages immediately and even calling them as late as midnight. These are clear indications of workaholism. If you want a balanced work-life, then as hard as it may sound, begin curbing the need of constantly checking your mails and avoid discussing official matters with colleagues after work hours, so you can keep your social and personal life on track. Evenings are to have fun, so relax and spend some quality time with your friends and family—you’ll surely feel fresher and better. Work can wait until morning.

Jim Bird, the founder and current CEO of WorkLifeBalance.com, says that ‘achievement’ and ‘enjoyment’ are at the heart of balancing life and work. Therefore, while you’re working hard to achieve something during the day, learn to enjoy it too—there’s nothing like having a mini chat with a co-worker or occasionally meeting up friends for lunch or tuning in your iPod to listen to some great music for a bit. Enjoying while working will keep the pressure off and you’ll feel vigorous till the day’s end.

The left leg of the ladder refers to the policies and strategies that your organisation adopts to help you attain work-life balance. Many organisations offer facilities like flex-timings, child care, job sharing, study leaves, gym, play ground and cafeterias equipped with LCDs to enhance their employees’ creativity and maintain work pressure. Try availing these facilities, and in case your organisation doesn’t entitle you to such conveniences, then you can always discuss your work flexibility needs with the management and perhaps they will provide you the appropriate solution.

In a nutshell, there’s no single perfect work-life balance that you can adhere to. The key is to fit all the slots of your day together in such a way that each slot gets the appropriate amount of time. So, the next time you’re sitting back late in office, think: are you really enjoying what you’re doing or are you merely achieving targets? Who would be waiting for you back home? And what is the one thing that really matters the most in your life (in a broader sense)? Then, act accordingly.