How to: Get your LIFE back!

Has your office become your new home?

Have your friends stopped calling you out anymore?

When people ask you what you do in your free time, do you sarcastically reply, "work"?

Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not in a very pretty condition. It is about time you get your life back!

Bring FUN back into work

Work can definitely get to you, especially if you work late hours. But just because your friends are asleep by the time you get home, it does not mean that there is no hope.

Nilima Kadam, a Mumbai-based software programmer says, "My job is such that I don't leave office till about 9:30 pm every night." However, Nilima explains that her boss makes it a point that the entire team goes for a movie every Saturday.

"There was this one time where we worked on a holiday and then took a day off and went to Essel World," she continues.

Don't forget your friends

Friends seem to take a back seat once you start working. And as enticing as Orkut might seem, it is just not the same as meeting your friends in person.

"On a daily basis, I make sure that I leave work by 7pm so my husband and I can have dinner together. I meet up with local friends over the weekends," says Uma Iyer, who works in Delhi.

"A lot of my friends live across the country; we make it a point to meet up once in three to five months and spend a few days together. Also, we always bring in the New Year together," Uma explains.

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Strike that balance

Balancing work, spending time with your kid and making time for yourself can be a little dicey. But it is definitely not impossible.

"A couple of my friends and I go out in the evenings with our kids either to the park or Mc Donald's or to a kiddie movie," says Erica Parelkar, a working mom from Pune. "I get to spend time with my friends as well as with my baby," she adds.

Live a Little

Here are a few ideas that will help you go from no life at all to a fun-filled life.

* Spend time with yourself. Whether it is a spa treatment, shopping or even renting a movie, you must involve yourself in activities other than work.

* Meet up with friends. Networking sites can help you get started especially if you have been transferred to a new city.

* Take off on a holiday. With your hectic schedule you probably just need to get away and relax.

* Catch up on hobbies. If you are the kind who loves to read, make it a point to visit your library at least once a week.

* Get active. You may be getting tired at work but you are getting lethargic as well. Engage yourself in some kind of sport like swimming or tennis or at least an evening walk. Start working out if you need to.