For most of us, we need a job to keep living comfortably with a roof over our heads, and while it’s essential to work to earn an income, work shouldn’t be everything. In this digital world, it’s imperative that we learn how to maintain a proper work-life balance, even when there’s pressure from all sides saying that being ‘on’ 24/7 is acceptable.
You need time and energy to relax, think, and give yourself a break. If you don’t, this can lead to a decrease in productivity. What’s worse, a work-life conflict has been associated with numerous adverse implications regarding employees’ mental and physical health.
We have listed our best strategies for improving quality of work life below, along with some bonus work-life balance tips and techniques.
Why it Matters
Finding a work-life balance is hard for everyone, and in fact, for many people, it’s not even a choice. We can sometimes be in a financial or personal situation where changing jobs is an impossibility, or we may really enjoy our work, even love it, but it encroaches on our lives a little too much.
However, finding a good balance between your personal life and your work life is imperative, as long hours and overworking are associated with health risks such as depression, weight gain, increased smoking, chronic pain, and increased alcohol consumption.
The Kelley School of Business from Indiana University recently found that employees working in high-stress jobs with little to no control are more likely to die earlier than employees with more balance and power in their work and better stress management.
To achieve a happy balance, there’s no need to draw a definitive line between your personal life and your work. A proper work-life balance isn’t about constructing an impassable wall between your professional and own lives, but about finding ways to integrate and connect the two.
Boundaries are Important
You need to set strict boundaries to achieve a balance between your professional and personal life. It can be very complicated to navigate the demands of home and career responsibilities, and we cannot often prioritize and balance our family and work life. It’s essential that we overcome the guilt of working long hours and accept the need for individual personal time.
Don’t fall into the trap of being afraid to set boundaries as you might be seen as disloyal to the position. Setting strict yet flexible limits is more likely to earn you respect, as when you put yourself first, you are better prepared to manage and handle people and give them what they need.
Bonus Tip
Try setting your boundaries based on your current commitments, rather than being too strict and rigid. By being flexible, you can meet work commitments when necessary, while still prioritising your personal life.
Set Your Work Hours
This can be especially hard if you work from home, as you are always around your working space. However, try and set a finishing time as an explicit goal as early on as possible. If you set an absolute time to turn off your computer and finish work, then you can use that time as a deadline to complete your tasks for the day, which in turn will ensure you’re more focused throughout the day.
Bonus Tip
Tomorrow, define the exact time you’re going to finish working, unplug, and keep an eye out on the clock during the day. Be aware that you need to complete your daily tasks by that time, and when you leave, enjoy doing something not related to work.
Don’t Be Afraid of Unplugging
Today’s world is connected, and there’s always something happening. However, when we cut ties with the outside world, we can manage some of the stress, let go of the work week and have some time and space to come up with other emerging thoughts and ideas.
When you’re always in work-mode, you don’t allow other essential things to surface. Sometimes, to truly unplug you can take a vacation (even a mental one such as meditation), and completely shut off work for a while.
Bonus Tip
A vacation can mean anything from a short walk around the block without looking at your phone, or a week-long getaway to somewhere exotic with your friends and/or family. Both of these things allow you to take a step back and recharge mentally.
Avoid Procrastination
Procrastinating at work is quite common, primarily if you’re working from home and surrounded by distractions. You can find yourself surfing your favorite websites to distract yourself with some interesting reading, or playing a quick online game.
These things are time wasters and can leave you even more drained by the end of the day. Try some methods to counteract wasting time, such as blocking your most distracting websites and closing all software that can potentially distract you and which you don’t need to use actively.
Bonus Tip
If you struggle to avoid the temptation of using distracting websites while working, try installing a browser extension such as StayFocusd, which blocks access to time-wasting sites. Don’t worry, you can always adjust the settings to block use of your chosen sites for certain times of the day only.
Take Regular Breaks
When you allow yourself to take regular brief breaks, you can recharge your mind and body. A good way to time your breaks is using the Pomodoro technique, where you set a timer (either a physical or virtual one) during 25 minutes, and diligently do your task without any distractions or breaks.
When it’s time for your break, do something that interests you, such as browsing Facebook, reading an article, drinking some water, or eating a healthy snack. Make sure your break is also timed, and once you’ve cleared your mind, get back to the task at hand.
Bonus Tip
Make a goal of spending the next hour without any personal distractions, and then reward yourself with a short break to make a cup of coffee, read or do something else.
Before Finishing Work, Write a To-Do List for the Next Day
Sometimes, the most significant work challenge when we’re sitting down to start working is figuring out what needs to be done, what tasks you need to start on, and which jobs you need to pick up and continue. Getting back to the working flow in the mornings can be hard, and you can waste a lot of time trying to figure out what you need to do.
Before finishing work in the evening, create a to-do list, where you write down all the key things that need to be done the next morning along with any deadlines. Leave your list somewhere where you’ll see it first thing in the morning so you can start your tasks without dawdling.
Bonus Tip
Before finishing work, make a list of the number of things you have to accomplish tomorrow and then get started on the tasks immediately the next morning. You will have a more productive morning, and you’ll finish your workday earlier.
Take Your Work Goals Into Consideration, but Keep Them Flexible
A lot of us find ourselves with little or no work-life balance as we take on more projects or responsibilities than we can reasonably manage. This commonly turns to work encroaching more and more on our personal lives, to our discomfort and the annoyance of our family and friends. We usually do this to get ahead in our workplace, believing that it will improve our lives, when in actuality, it can make things worse.
It’s important to take a step back from time to time and ask yourself if taking on more responsibilities and projects is something that you can manage, and if it will lead you to achieve your goals. Taking on smaller projects or fewer responsibilities and doing a great job will further enhance your career more so than taking on too much and failing to do your best.
Bonus Tip
Take a look at all your current projects, and see if there are any that you can cut or have someone else do. Also, commit yourself to not taking on new projects until the ones you’re currently tasked with doing can be completed with the highest quality level.
Eliminate Distractions With Focused Sessions
Practice focused sessions where all distractions are eliminated. Too often, especially when working from home, you get distracted by people in your home, instant messages, phone calls, etc. These distractions can destroy your train of thought and make it more difficult for you to focus.
One solution is to have sessions where you do not allow yourself to be distracted and just focus on your work. Close your email, turn off notifications on your phone (or power off completely), close your office door, and focus on the tasks at hand.
Bonus Tip
Open up some time in your schedule and do all you can to eliminate distractions for one hour. Use this block of time to concentrate on your most urgent or essential task.
Unplug When You Finish Your Work Day
After you’ve finished working and have shut down your computer, don’t check your email, and turn off your work phone if you have one. Any issues that have come up can be dealt with the next morning. There’s no need to let technology crash your work-home barrier, unless it’s really necessary for your current position.
Bonus Tip
Besides unplugging to step away from your work, try to schedule in some uninterrupted personal time. Whether that’s taking part in a yoga class, meeting friends for dinner, or planning a romantic date with your partner, schedule something that’s entirely unrelated to work and simply enjoy your evening. After all, we work to be able to have a balanced life, right?
Unwind With a Fulfilling and Relaxing Activity
When you think about unwinding, does vegetating in front of a screen come to mind? If so, you need to change your focus. Watching TV can be relaxing, but it doesn’t provide personal fulfillment, and too much television without other physical activities can lead to anxiety and depression. Instead of binge-watching a show, find an activity that you enjoy, such as meditation or yoga, or just reading a book.
Bonus Tip
Find an activity that you not only enjoy, but can also help you unwind, no matter how silly it may seem. We all have different ways of relaxing, so have fun exploring what activities work best for you.
Exercise Regularly
To thrive in our personal lives, regular exercise is critical. You shouldn’t leave your priorities on the back burner, and this includes your health, so incorporate at least thirty minutes of exercise in your daily routine.
Physical activity reduces work-related stress, pumping endorphins through your body, which are responsible for an increased state and sense of well-being. Besides what you may think, working out gives you increased energy levels and lifts your mood. Studies show that to achieve a proper work-life balance; exercising is a must.
If you are struggling to regularly fit exercise into your daily routine, then consider incorporating it into your work day. You could use a treadmill desk or other exercise equipment for desk jobs, or simply try some of these exercises you can do from your desk.
Bonus Tip
Even making small changes to your lifestyle will make a difference, so if you tend to take the subway or bus into work, try getting off a stop early and walking the rest of the way. It may not seem like much, but these bits of exercise do add up!
Get Involved in Personal Projects Unrelated to Work
We tend to get more absorbed in work if we don’t have a meaningful element in our personal lives, so work becomes our life. This is dangerous in the long run, as just focusing on work will end up stressing you out and wearing you down. Find a project that you can involve yourself in unrelated to work, such as a volunteer project, a community group, a sports team or something that provides you with fun, personal growth, and personal development.
Bonus Tip
Find out about groups in your area that you can get involved in, and devote some time to yourself for pursuing these activities and feeling good about yourself.
Take Time Off
It can often happen that we end up losing our vacation days because we didn’t use them, as we may feel that there’s always something more important going on. Don’t let yourself fall into that mind trap, and use up your available vacation days, even if for a staycation. Use that free time to do something different or fun, or spend some time with your friends and family.
Bonus Tip
Never let your vacation time lapse. Always use it, even if you don’t have anything big planned. If you’re not going on a trip, use the time to run errands or do chores around the home.
Get Enough Sleep
A good night’s sleep plays a vital role in our well-being. When we get enough quality sleep, we protect our safety, quality of life, physical and mental health, and general well-being. Prolonged sleep deficiency increases your risk for chronic health issues, as well as affecting how you get along with others, learn, work, react, and think. Getting enough sleep will improve your concentration levels, therefore increasing your productivity levels at work and the enjoyment of your personal life.
Bonus Tip
If you regularly feel tired, try adjusting your sleep, so you achieve the optimum amount of seven to eight hours. Set the alarm to remind you that it's time to go to bed, and stick to a regular sleep schedule as much as possible.
What do you do to achieve a better work-life balance? Comment below and let’s get a discussion started!
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