How to improve your work life balance today

Improving your work life balance is crucial to living a fulfilling and healthy life. Most of us have this belief that life is only about work because only through hard work will we become successful and happy. While this may be true to some extent, there are times when we push our physical and mental health aside just to in order to reach our goals. We fail to see that the amount of work and pressure we put on ourselves can lead to the downfall of our health and happiness, including our personal relationships with our loved ones.

In this article, let’s learn about the importance of work life balance and how we can improve it.

What is work life balance?

Work life balance is the equal splitting of an individual’s professional and personal life. When one has the right work life balance, he is able to make time for his work as well as his family or leisure activities. For instance, for someone who is more focused on his job than his family, chances are he has or will have a difficult relationship with them.

Also Read: How to Apply For Adoption Leave

Why is work life balance important?

Having a good work life balance, otherwise known as a work life interface is important because of many reasons –

It helps in reducing chronic stress, which can cause anxiety, depression, insomnia and other mental health issues.
It also helps in avoiding getting physical health issues such as heart problems, hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.
Rather than experiencing burnout, it can help individuals in boosting productivity.
It improves relationships be it between employers and employees or employees and their families.

Tips To Improve Work Life Balance

The following tips below should help you create a healthy work life balance

Put Your Health First

You cannot help yourself or your loved ones, let alone your job unless you take care of your health first. This includes your physical, emotional and mental well-being. So, you need to be in an environment where you will be able to get more healing. For instance, if you are someone who needs to see your therapist or doctor frequently, you need to surround yourself with people who will give you time to do that.

So, you need to ask yourself if your company prioritises your overall well-being over your daily work responsibilities. By taking care of yourself first, you will be a better person and an employee.

So, if you feel ill, don’t hesitate to call in sick. And if you feel stressed out, try exercising or meditating. Also, remember to eat healthy.

Separate Your Professional And Personal Time

As we have mentioned before, focusing too much on your work can isolate you from your loved ones. So, you need to set boundaries when it comes to your professional and personal life.

You can start by working only during your working hours and days. As soon as your office hour ends, shut down your work devices such as your laptop, PC, tablet or phone.

Ideally, you should try to have separate personal and work phones because, in a world where there are now Whatsapp or Skype group chats, you should be able to disconnect yourself completely from work-related distractions when you are off the clock. Do not be afraid to tell your team members or supervisors not to contact you regarding work during your off-hours. This is how you will be able to set boundaries.

Spend time with your family or yourself by picking hobbies and other activities. Ensure that your off-hours are for you and your loved ones alone.

Look For A Job You Love

As an adult, you are expected to take care of yourself and your loved ones financially. The stress of finding a good job (or even any job for that matter) has driven many of us to apply for job vacancies that we have no interest in. And then, we tend to get stuck in a dead-end job that gives us nothing but stress and dejection. Such draining jobs can be unhealthy for us. So, another way to create a healthy work life balance is to find a job that you like.

You need to find a job that excites you and makes you proud of yourself. This will boost your morale and productivity, which will further allow you to have a good night’s sleep and wake up every morning feeling refreshed and happy.

Choose A Healthy Work Environment

If you are working in a toxic environment, it’s best you look for employment elsewhere. Some companies overwork their employees to the point that they don’t even have enough time for themselves or their loved ones. While in some, there may be toxic colleagues. Working in such a place will eventually exploit and lower your spirit.

Whenever you apply for a new job, always ask about the company culture and what a typical workday for someone in your position is like. Also, ask about leave policies, including sick leave and vacation days.

Take Time To Decompress

When you feel the stress getting to you, do not hesitate to take time to unplug and unwind.

Every once in a while, mute the outside world by reading a book or binging your favourite television show. You could even travel to recharge mentally and physically. Be it your CL (causual leaves), EL (earned leaves) or vacation days, never hesitate to use them.

Set A Time-Table

Having a fixed schedule daily by setting a timetable will allow you to achieve your goals much easier and faster.

Prioritize your work from big to small or hard to easy. This way, when you feel most productive you can focus on the hard ones that will take up the most time. And when you feel a little drained, you can work on the smaller and easier tasks.

Avoid taking personal calls during work hours and if possible, put your phone inside your desk or your bag in silent mode. This will help you avoid being distracted.

Achieving your daily goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and boost your confidence. Moreover, the sooner you finish your work, the more time you will have to yourself.

Be Realistic And Strong

No matter how hard you want it to be, every day will not always grant you the perfect work life balance. There will be times when you will have to focus solely on your work for days because someone in your time screwed up or your clients are not satisfied with what you delivered, etc. Or, there may be times when you need to be there for your family due to illness or death.

You need to accept that there will be times when you won’t enjoy a healthy work life balance for a while. In such cases, you need to remain strong and remind yourself that it’s a temporary setback.

If you become more stressed, you will only be adding more fuel to the fire. So, try to remain positive to get back the balance.

Conclusion

When an employee enjoys a healthy work life balance, it benefits both the company and himself. Because it is only through it that the employee can truly take care of himself to be his best professional and personal self. So, if your employer does not prioritize his employees’ work life balance, we hope the above-mentioned work life balance tips help you improve or create yours.