The problem with being a successful woman? Finding time for your romantic life (should you want one) amongst all the meetings.

With 280 million people forecasted to be online dating in 2024, it seems like everyone is looking for the one.

Personal relationships haven’t been at the forefront of people’s priorities lately, we’re all just trying to improve our professional lives, but climbing that success later alone can be lonely sometimes.

So how do you find time to date and form meaningful relationships when you’re constantly stressed and worried about work? We’ll be discussing the four ways you can find a balance to the demands of both your job and your personal life. 

1. Put yourself first, find a new interest! 

Your job is an important aspect of your life, but that’s what you need to focus on: it’s an aspect. You deserve to channel your energy into activities you enjoy, too.

Work is demanding, and the better your performance the happier you get, but that doesn’t mean your entire identity needs to be wrapped within the career you chose. 

Try finding a fun hobby that you enjoy, something that doesn’t necessarily relate to your 9 to 5 like:

• Reading
• Knitting
• Gardening
• Photography

2. You’re not the problem, our work culture is

We tend to value being useful and helpful at our jobs, to the point where we’re ready to give up our personal lives for the sake of feeling valued.

But what you need to understand is that your value is inherent, not something you have to earn by being productive. 

The work culture that has evolved over the years makes you feel like the only important thing to devote yourself to is your job. Your job is definitely important, but other things can give your life meaning too.

3. Practice your work-life balance

It’s easy to preach to others about keeping a balance between work, loved ones, and mental health. It’s much harder to practice putting in an equal amount of care into all of these whiles trying to date. 

Try putting a hard limit on the time you leave the office, and stick by it even if there’s still some work to do. Nothing is worth missing a nice outing with friends that’ll make you feel better. 

Additionally, you can try pre-planning your social plans for the week beforehand and making sure your friends keep you accountable if you bail. 

Working can sometimes be emotionally demanding, and you might feel too tired to live outside of work, but it’s also important to sustain your friendships along the way.

4. Date yourself first

It is okay if you find satisfaction and fulfillment in your work that others find in committed relationships. Being dedicated to your job only becomes unhealthy when you welcome it as a distraction from emotional pain and avoid much-needed self-awareness. 

What might be a prudent move for you, for now, is to try dating yourself. Get to know yourself better, take yourself out on a date. Try and understand what you might be avoiding by working those long shifts.

You’ll eventually be able to make time for romantic relationships in your life if you start by making time for discovering yourself and your own pains first.

 The environment you’re prospering in professionally might be too demanding of your time to date, but you can always try finding time for yourself within it!