The best jobs in Australia are arguably the ones that provide an excellent work/life balance. Everyone wants a happy life, and when you consider that one third of our waking hours are spent at work, isn’t it the Great Australian Dream not just to own a home and all that good stuff, but to be happy at work? Life is busy. We have so many commitments and it can be hard to juggle everything. You have a family, work responsibilities, home chores and just once in a while, wouldn’t it be great to be able to fit in a bit of time for yourself? Well, when you’ve decided you’ve had enough of the mind-numbing grind in your current position and you start looking for alternative employment, your best place to start is a local job search. Avoiding the commute is high on the list of priorities for people who seek to pursue a better work/life balance.

Try to work close to home

Working locally to your home means spending far less time on the road or on public transport getting to and from your workplace. You can kid yourself by saying that that’s time you spend thinking, reading, listening to music and so on, but really, nothing beats sleeping in an extra half hour or getting home an hour early to relax. Start with a local job search then work your way out to larger radii if absolutely necessary. Ask anyone who claims to have ‘the best job in Australia’ (and we’re not referring to Ben, the winner of the ‘Best Job in Australia’ promotion). They’ll tell you that one of the reasons they love their job so much is that it’s close to home and eliminates the stress of the commute.

Aside from the travel factor, job satisfaction is of vital importance. It’s a long hard slog when you have to turn up for eight hours of work every day at a place where you hate to be. Being happy in your work role can mean the difference between poor health and vibrant health.

How about relocation?

But what if you want a sea change? What if you need an entirely different perspective on life in order to attain that lifestyle nirvana?Then look for jobs in Perth or jobs in Cairns or if the summer heat doesn’t bother you, jobs in Alice Springs. Australia has such a range of lifestyle locations to offer so that if a change of scenery is what the doctor ordered, then why shouldn’t you up and relocate? Try a tree change, upsize, downsize, whatever it takes to get your creative juices flowing again and your satisfaction levels powering again. The best jobs in Australia are literally those that belong to people who have made proactive decisions to get what they need out of their careers.

The beauty of SMStheJOB is that no matter where you live, you can find jobs where you want to live, or conduct a local job search that lets you work closer to home. Text message alerts will be sent to your mobile phone, instantly advising you of brilliant opportunities in places that you may not be entirely familiar with. Then it’s up to you to research the location properly and respond accordingly.