Work Life Balance, like Time Management a bit of a misnomer in that you can’t really ‘balance’ all aspects of your work and life any more than you can
‘manage time’. But we know what the phrase means when we hear or use it, even if it means different things to different people.
That said, what does work-life balance mean to you?
How out of balance is your work and personal life? Which areas are you neglecting while focusing on what seems the most important at the moment?
It can be hard to create any form of balance with the increasing demands on your professional work and career.
Working longer and longer hours. Sacrificing personal time and relationships in order to get things done or just try to keep up with your increasing workload.
Yet, achieving this balance is crucial for your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Understanding Work-Life Balance
In reality, work-life balance really means creating more of a holistic approach to your work and personal life that balances the needs and demands of
one over the other. Making sure your time and energy is divided between work and your personal life in a way that supports your success but doesn’t undermine your mental and physical well-being.
In these days of hybrid, remote and more flexible ways of working, what would you need to do to get your work-life
balance back in way that makes the best use of your time and energy?
A brief period of imbalance is manageable but when things get out of balance and this becomes a pattern, it can result in:
- Burnout: Constant pressure,
long working hours and overwhelming demands lead to stress and burnout. You end up feeling constantly physical and emotional exhausted.
- Decreased Productivity: The more tired and stressed you feel, the less productive you become. Thee longer you work to try to keep up, the less efficient you are and the quality of work suffers.
- Strained Relationships: When you spend too much time and energy working, you have less to give to your personal relationships and end up feeling guilty, disconnected and more isolated.
- Health Issues: Longer-term imbalance leads to stress, anxiety, depression and more series issues like heart disease, high-blood pressure, stroke and weight gain.
Strategies to Achieve A Better Work-Life Balance
To refocus your time and energy and get your work-life balance back on a more even keel,
start with these three tips:
Set Boundaries: Define clear boundaries between your work and personal time. This could mean setting specific work hours and sticking to them, turning off work notifications after hours, or designating a separate workspace at home. You can still work flexibly but
when you’re working, you’re focused on work. When you’re not working you can can focus on other things like your partner, family, friends or yourself.
Prioritise Your Time:
At work
- not all tasks are equal, so use tools like to-do lists, checklist or the Time Management Matrix to organise and manage your tasks. Spend more time on high-impact activities and learn to delegate or say no to the less important ones.
At home - prioritise your time for what’s important. Plan in ‘quality’ time
for the relationships that are important to you and treat that time as a priority.
Be realistic. There’s only so much you can do with the time available.
Take Breaks: Taking regular
breaks throughout the day can increase your productivity and help maintain your energy levels. Use the Pomodoro Technique to help you stay focused and build in a regular break. Include breaks as part of your flexible working practice. The more focused you are the more you’ll achieve and the less distracted (and more productive) you’ll be.
Use short breaks to stretch, relax, reset will help reduce your stress and if you use them for a quick burst of exercise you can improve your health and wellbeing at the same time. Use a longer break to switch off from work more fully.
