As a society, we tend to glorify “busy.” But what happens when busy infiltrates your home life? Here are some tips to keep the work/home balance in check.

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Maintaining your relationship and family life, while keeping your job or career, is more difficult than ever. Juggling at-home tasks can be complicated, but when you bring your work hat home, you increase the complications exponentially.

Use these simple tips to help you become more present (and work-free) at home.

Boundaries

The one goal that you may want to consider this keeping boundaries of work. Boundaries are important to discuss with your boss, regarding how much involvement you will have at home. In setting them, you will always know what time you will have with your family.

Some families are more supportive than others, if you receive additional compensation to be on call, or if this is your position, your family needs to support you be a success at your job. If you encounter a situation in which canceling is unavoidable, calmly explain to your family that this is essential to your job. Make another date with them to celebrate or make a special dinner..  It isn’t about making things up that are unavoidable, it is all about embracing change and being flexible in your life.

Make many more plans with your family and keep them; go on outings together, and when you are there, be in the present day. It is more important to be mindful and present with your loved ones than to be constantly playing catch-up with work. Accept circumstances for what they are and don’t feel guilty about it. Remember who is always your priority: your family.

It isn’t about how you must remember to do a task, pick up the little one from ballet, or soccer camp; it’s all about juggling, love and dedication. It’s about enjoying life and whatever that brings with it.

Apps

Apps become more and more useful if you utilize them to make goals. It used to be that you write your goals on paper and use Post-it notes, but smart phone technology has made it so much easier to keep track of your goals. By establishing clear goals for yourself, you can prioritize tasks, creating clear boundaries between work life and home life.

From calendars to shopping, apps are powerful tools. Utilize these as time savers to maximize time with family.

End Procrastination

Learn to make schedules—at work and in your personal life—to make things easier. Individual goals and deadlines are equally important in your personal life and they will help you be more efficient at work. When you finish with tasks at hand faster, you free up more precious time to spend with the ones you love.

Go to the Store

Change hats when you come in the door. When you arrive home, take 15 minutes to close your eyes and meditate for a few minutes. Just a few quiet minutes will make a difference in how you handle your evening.

One thing I always say is, “I am going to the store, I will be back in 15 minutes.” Then I go the other room and meditate—it gets a chuckle and it is an understanding that we all have.

Abandon the Phone

When you are at home with family, limit your discussions about work and center instead on discussions about family and your collective activities and lives. Ask your family what they are involved in, what’s new or interesting or pressing in their lives. Keep a no-phone policy at the dinner table—this will keep everyone from texting at the table. Instead everyone can digest and find the family rhythm. Finding time to talk as a family should rank high on your personal goal list.

Focus on Non-Work Friends

Making new friends outside your work environment may be difficult, but using social medial platforms like Facebook can make things easier. Organize get-togethers; friends bringing new friends for a potluck or barbecue gathering once a month will help facilitate new friendships. You can call it BYOF (bring your own friends) night. Or find time to join a club or activity that will facilitate meeting others. You don’t have to say goodbye to work friends, just expand your horizons.

With clearer boundaries between your work life and your home life, you will soon find that life will be just that much more manageable.