Do you feel your job sucks all the energy out of you? Are you tired of constantly juggling your work and personal responsibilities and still feel you’re failing at both? Discover 5 practical tips to help you achieve a fulfilling work-life balance.
We can’t argue with how much technology makes our lives — and our jobs — easier. We have surrounded ourselves with an almost ridiculous amount of smart gadgets and appliances. Everything is smart now! Smartphones, smartwatches, smart TVs, smart vacuums, even our lights and plugs can be smart.
While these devices can definitely save us a lot of time and energy, they also lead us to be connected at all times. And that inadvertently means we can be reached at all times. So, the concept of being connected, being online, starts to get blurred with the pressure of always being available. That can be as much about replying to that work email after hours as it can be about keeping up with your friends’ group chat during work.
The lines between our professional and personal lives are no longer physical. For many of us, the few barriers that still remained have completely collapsed during and after the pandemic.
Technology, remote work, flexible schedules have transformed those physical boundaries into ones that now only exist in our heads. That’s why more than ever we need to pay attention to our work-life balance. Because more and more it depends on the actions we take every day and how we choose to prioritize the different areas of our lives.
What Does Work-Life Balance Mean?
Although everyone has a general idea about what work-life balance means, there’s no universal rule that determines the right proportion to place on the scale. Work-life balance can mean different things to different people, and can also change throughout our lives.
But if work-life balance is more of an individual perception, how do I know if I’m doing it right? You can start by asking yourself some of these questions:
- Do you feel that one area is taking up too much space in your life?
- Do you believe the time you dedicate to each area matches your current goals and priorities?
- Do you struggle to disconnect from the worries and responsibilities of one area and be fully involved in the other when you want to?
- Have you repeatedly postponed or missed commitments in one area to meet the demands of the other?
The goal of these questions is to help you find a balance that works for you. Achieving a healthy work-life balance doesn’t necessarily mean splitting your time equally between work and personal life. It’s much more about prioritizing what matters the most to you and managing your time and energy in a way that works best for your needs.
Why Is Work-Life Balance Important?
There’s a pervasive notion that we must be productive at all times. This pressure that feeds off our fear of failing, falling behind, or being perceived as lazy pushes us to prioritize busyness and constant activity over leisure and rest.
But, what evidence tells us is that working long hours not only reduces productivity but also increases the potential for mistakes and injuries.
Moreover, our work-life balance can directly impact our overall health and well-being. Studies show that people with a lower balance between their work and personal lives are more likely to experience physical and mental health problems, such as sleep disturbances, fatigue, anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance abuse, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
In contrast, research also indicates that having predictable time off — meaning weekends and vacations where people fully disconnect from work — is a good predictor for a healthy work-life balance and improves our well-being, efficiency, and productivity.
That’s why we need to move away from this “productivity trap” and understand that true productivity can’t endure without rest, self-care, and free time to do whatever makes us feel good.
5 Tips to Achieve a Work-Life Balance That Works for You
1. Focus on your goals and priorities
Start by thinking about what are your priorities at this point in your life. Take some time to reflect on what matters most to you and the goals — both professional and personal — you want to achieve in the short and long term.
What do you want to conquer in your career in the next months, years? Do you want more time to spend with your friends, family, or with yourself? More time for your hobbies and interests, to travel, exercise, read?
You can write all this down and display it somewhere you can easily see, like your work area or a place you pass every morning before starting work. This way you make sure you won’t lose sight (literally) of everything that makes you feel balanced in your life.
2. Schedule personal time in your calendar
Just as you schedule work meetings, you should also schedule personal time in your calendar. Take a look at those goals and priorities that you have just written down and think about how they’re going to fit into your week.
Once again, it can be helpful to make an actual schedule that can help you track if you’re keeping up with your own planning. Treat your personal time slots with the same level of importance as you would for your work-related ones.
Keep in mind: when you’re making your schedule, resist overloading it with productivity — whether it’s work, house chores, or hobbies. It’s essential to include times to do nothing, simply to relax, rest and be.
3. Use technology to help you disconnect
With email, messaging, and all the other apps synchronized to our phones, it’s easy to feel tethered to work at all hours and be responsive at all times.
However, the only way you can truly give yourself some breathing room from your daily work stressors and just recharge is by completely disconnecting — a kind of airplane mode but for your personal life.
Switch off all work apps and notifications after hours. Or, in case you can’t completely unplug, set specific times for checking work-related messages. You can also restrict work to just one device, or keep at least one device that’s not connected to anything work-related. Use technology to help you carry out these work-life balance tips!
4. Two words: “no” and “DIY”
You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Yes, say it as many times as you need to hear it. While we get how uncomfortable saying “no” can feel, especially if you’re a people pleaser or if you feel safer in the driver’s seat, we also know how freeing it can be.
Just think back on all the time and energy you could have saved yourself in the past if you just had said no. “No, I won’t be able to take that last-minute task”. “I’m sorry, I won’t be available this weekend”. “No, I need my lunch hour to have lunch. Yes, the whole hour.”
Saying “no” is not a personal attack on the other person. It doesn’t make you rude or selfish. It simply means you’re honoring your own time and goals — and most importantly your mental well-being.
And, while it is okay to want to help others, it’s also okay to give them space to “DIY”. Because sometimes it’s only by doing things ourselves that we learn through our own mistakes and gain the confidence we need to tackle new challenges. So, help when you can but also delegate where you can.
5. Practice more work-life balance tips
Work-life balance is not something you can just check off your list once and be done with. Rather, it is something you need to keep putting in effort and adjusting day in, day out. And just like any skill, the more you practice, the better you will get.
It’s essential to keep seeking opportunities to reinforce and enhance your work-life balance skills. One effective way to learn more practical tips and how to incorporate them into your everyday life is through workshops or therapy groups led by specialized therapists.
Start Individual Counseling in Baltimore, MD
Are you struggling to maintain a healthy and fulfilling work-life balance? Do you feel one area of your life is draining all your time and energy?
We know that finding the right balance can be challenging. Our Baltimore therapists can help you manage stress, set boundaries, and prioritize what matters most to you. Talk to us to know more, or schedule a free 15-minute consultation here.
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