How are you able to balance your social life and your work life?

That's a great question, and I anticipate different answers from different people, and I commend you for thinking about balancing priorities since you will need to address balance throughout your life and not just your career.

My answer starts with you and your employer. I find the best employers are the ones who are committed not just to monetary revenue but also your happiness and personal development. A lot of computer science/software development is a creative endeavor, so a healthy, happy mind is far more productive than a demoralized employee vacantly staring at their computer screen. The work also requires a lot of up front investment to do well; simply by hiring you, your employer is making a significant investment before they may see your employment have a positive overall impact (see Brooke's law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks%27s_law).

So it is in both your and your employer's interests to set expectations about what you can do, how you can do it, how flexible you are as circumstances change, and where these all fall in your and your prospective employer's roadmap. Since we are looking at work/life balance, there are concrete numbers to consider, such as number of vacation days, sick days, average number of hours worked per week by employees, etc.

There are also squishier qualities to consider, such as how much of a priority does your employer place in avoiding overwork. For example, a poor employer may rush work, causing last minute issues to arise and require you, the employee, to stay late to resolve them. A better employer would avoid rushing work by planning well and setting realistic goals for their current circumstances that avoid sudden, critical issues. Asking interviewers about their work/life balance can give you more insight to make a better decision for yourself.

I wish you success, Tara, in finding what works for you. These are exciting times to be in information technology, and there are many career options open to you, and I anticipate many more options to come. I hope this helps you start thinking about the one that is best for you.

Hi there,
The question that you have a common question to all that is starting their career in an established firm. It all takes upon how you take the job , like if you enjoy it or not coz that plays a huge part in figuring out the way to balance the both.
If you start enjoying your job , then you would not find the job being tiring and you will start enjoying it which in-turn will help to keep your morale high and and you will start enjoying your day. So it all depends upon where you work , with whom you work and how you work.
There is just a fine line between the three , but you find the line then things will work and everything wil fall in place and and you will start to enjoy your work and once you go home you will also start to enjoy your life outside the job too.
So it is very critical on what and where you want to work , so once you figure that out that it should give answers to the other questions of how you work and with whom you work.
But do remember enjoying your work also changes when you work around the people who like you. If you work with people with a good heart will always help you to lift yourself up when you feel a bit down.
Another way to manage the life outside your job is by making sure that you dont blend your job and your social life together.
when you work you work , give your zen percent into the job and once your with your family or friends be with them both physically and mentally.
When I started my career in Dell a few years back, i too found difficulty in managing the both, but when i started to enjoy my job that when things started to fall in place for me. And after the it was just like a cake walk and you could feel that magically things are falling in place.
So buddy I would kindly request you to figure out the primary answer for your question, Figure out on what job you want to do and where you want to work.
Once you figure that I'm sure that you will be able to find the balance between the both.
Do friend that will be it from me.
have a great career and success

Hi Tara, awesome question. This is one I've actively thought about a lot since starting full time employment. For myself, so far, maintaining a consistent schedule allows me to maintain the work/life balance I wish to have. Everyday I come in to work around the same time, allot time for exercise every other day, eat dinner, and leave work at the same time. When I get home, unless I feel that I did not get enough completed for the day, I do not touch my work. During the weekends, again, unless I feel I did not get enough done during the week, I do not touch my work. It helps to set goals for your work everyday - it'll allow you to gauge your productivity during work hours.

You will need to focus on stress and time management. In order to manage stress you have to manage your time wisely. <span style="background-color: transparent;">You have to set a routine for yourself and stick to it for the most part. Once you get into the groove of a routine it will be much easier for you to manage your time and have enough time for everything you need to do (including relaxing). Make yourself to-do lists on a weekly basis, use Google calendar or a planner to keep track of events, deadlines, and due dates. In addition to setting a routine and sticking to it, plan out relaxing activities into your day. Or set aside a time, after everything is done for the day, that you can have "me" time. I have also personally found it essential to not only find time for myself but also make use of that time in a way that is best for me and my holistic wellness. I have found the HeadSpace app to be an essential tool in helping me relax and generally feel more relaxed throughout the day, Guided meditation, even if you have a busy schedule, will make you feel more at ease and relaxed throughout the day as a whole (not just when you have the time to relax and focus on that "me" time).</span>

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Set a routine.Use Google Calendar.Set aside Me TimeWrite weekly to-do lists and use a planner.Find a peaceful and restful activity that will help you feel relaxed.</span>

Hello Tara! Hope you are having an awesome day. I like your question a lot because it is something everyone has to deal with. From my experience being able to manage your time is key to having a great social life and working career. If you can master time management you can enjoy both your working life as being very effective and efficient, and you can enjoy your social life with your friends and family as much as possible. Hope this helps, have a great day :)

Hi, Good question, I am in a similar situation in balancing work and private time - I work remotely 100% in my home which makes is hard to switch off sometimes. I try to have a separate work area where I can either close the door or have my work area out of sight when I am relaxing. Sometimes I also have to 'schedule' my down time...for socializing, working out, etc. and make myself do it and stop working. Hope this helps...Good luck!