The idea of getting things perfectly equal in all areas of your life at once can be impossible. It can be difficult to recognise when you need to focus on restoring your work-life balance, but there are signs you can be aware of.
Working for long periods without leaving your desk, checking emails when you should be present with family or friends, working weekends and eating lunch and/or dinner at your desk are all signs that you don’t have a good work-life balance. The problem is that lack of work-life balance over an extended period can lead to burnout, which can be dangerous, so it’s important to recognise the symptoms ahead of time
5 tips for better work-life balance
Examine your situation
Think about what your most important values are and how you want to spend your time. Once you’ve established that, you can brainstorm small changes you can make that will have a big impact overall, such as forcing yourself to have a lunch break several times a week to exercise or chat with a friend.
Manage other people’s expectations
Set boundaries by telling colleagues and clients when you will and won’t be working, so they don’t expect you to be available 24/7. And be honest about your personal needs. Let your boss know which regular activities in your personal life are non-negotiable, whether it’s putting your children to bed or doing yoga – whatever it is that really matters for you.
Take care of your health
Ensure you get enough sleep and exercise by including it in your routine, and make sure to reward yourself for your hard work by treating yourself every now and then. To do this you might need to delegate where you can, to free up your time for what’s most important .Ask for extra resources if you need them.
Learn to say no
If you need to work late constantly just to get by, let your boss know that your workload is unsustainable. And if you tend to put other’s needs before your own, learn to say no occasionally to new projects and extra commitments that will eat up your time and won’t contribute to achieving your work or personal objectives .
Plan fun activities for your personal time
Get organised with family and friends, to ensure your personal time is fulfilling. Connecting digitally is important to a lot of us right now but try to get some down time away from that as well. Turn off electronic devices for a certain time period every evening or weekend so that you can give your full attention to the people and activities that are most important to you. Try and follow a daily routine that includes some time for yourself every week that’s unrelated to your career.
Balance can feel tricky to achieve. But by trying these steps you can begin to find ways to make work feel less consuming and free up focus for the other parts of your life – even when times are challenging.