If you’re serious about your career, or love your job, it can be difficult to strike a balance between work and your personal life. From working too many hours to being unable to switch off, it’s important to recognize when enough is enough so that you can make some changes. If your work/life balance becomes an issue, you run the risk of burning out, in addition to other effects on your personal health and relationships. Whether you’ve got into bad habits or you need to improve your time management, it’s never too late to make some adjustments.
Improve your productivity
If you find that you have to work longer hours to complete your tasks, you might need to look at your process and assess where your productivity could improve. There are all kinds of productivity tips that could help you manage your time better, without having to make drastic changes. If you find that you do your best work in the morning, consider starting work earlier or prioritizing your toughest tasks for those initial hours. Try to avoid multitasking as this can deflate your productivity and leave you with multiple open tasks to deal with.
Learn when to switch off
A poor work/life balance can make it difficult to switch off from work at night or at the weekends. But for the sake of your health, you need to be able to do this. Set some rules for yourself to help you leave work at the office. From not checking your emails to leaving your laptop at the office, you need to be firm about what is and isn’t acceptable. The more available you make yourself, the more people will expect you to be available. If you work from home, switching off can be even more difficult - your office is always there! But you can switch off when working from home by being strict with yourself, setting a firm working pattern and leaving your devices alone. Having a set routine will make it easier for you to plan your day, giving you a time to aim for to switch off in the evening.
Having a good work/life balance is something that many people strive to achieve, but it won’t happen without any effort. Taking steps to prioritize yourself and your health will help prevent you from working too much, leaving you feeling happier and more in control of your life. If your work/life balance needs fixing, start finding ways you can make it happen today.
If you find that you have to work longer hours to complete your tasks, you might need to look at your process and assess where your productivity could improve. There are all kinds of productivity tips that could help you manage your time better, without having to make drastic changes. If you find that you do your best work in the morning, consider starting work earlier or prioritizing your toughest tasks for those initial hours. Try to avoid multitasking as this can deflate your productivity and leave you with multiple open tasks to deal with.
Make commitments outside of work
Having commitments outside of work can help you to stop working and leave the office on time. From arranging to meet friends for dinner to signing up to fitness classes, it’s important to make plans that help you leave work behind. Start making changes to your schedule to help you get out of the office on time. If you’ve been saying ‘no’ a lot lately, it’s time to start saying yes and make more time for a life outside of work.
Having commitments outside of work can help you to stop working and leave the office on time. From arranging to meet friends for dinner to signing up to fitness classes, it’s important to make plans that help you leave work behind. Start making changes to your schedule to help you get out of the office on time. If you’ve been saying ‘no’ a lot lately, it’s time to start saying yes and make more time for a life outside of work.
Discuss your working pattern with your manager
If your working pattern is starting to cause concern, it’s time for a discussion with your manager. Perhaps they don’t realize you’re working too much, or understand how much work you’ve been given. If you have suggestions on how things can be improved, this could help make your discussion more constructive. Tools such as payroll reporting can be very useful to employers, helping to identify hours worked, overtime, absenteeism and more. Being able to agree a way forward can ease some of the pressure you’re feeling to work more than you should be.
Prioritize your health and wellbeing
Maintaining an effective work/life balance is important for your health and wellbeing. Working too much can leave you feeling tired and stressed, and can lead to more serious health issues over time. Living a simpler and healthier life involves healthy eating, staying active and making time for yourself. It’s important that you get the right amount of sleep, avoid drinking too much and other destructive habits, while also taking time to enjoy your favorite activities. If you’re feeling more exhausted than usual, it could be time to take a break. If you have vacation days to take or you can enjoy a long weekend be sure to take the time to get your health back on track. A break from work can help you recharge, leaving you feeling fresh once again.
If your working pattern is starting to cause concern, it’s time for a discussion with your manager. Perhaps they don’t realize you’re working too much, or understand how much work you’ve been given. If you have suggestions on how things can be improved, this could help make your discussion more constructive. Tools such as payroll reporting can be very useful to employers, helping to identify hours worked, overtime, absenteeism and more. Being able to agree a way forward can ease some of the pressure you’re feeling to work more than you should be.
Prioritize your health and wellbeing
Maintaining an effective work/life balance is important for your health and wellbeing. Working too much can leave you feeling tired and stressed, and can lead to more serious health issues over time. Living a simpler and healthier life involves healthy eating, staying active and making time for yourself. It’s important that you get the right amount of sleep, avoid drinking too much and other destructive habits, while also taking time to enjoy your favorite activities. If you’re feeling more exhausted than usual, it could be time to take a break. If you have vacation days to take or you can enjoy a long weekend be sure to take the time to get your health back on track. A break from work can help you recharge, leaving you feeling fresh once again.
Learn when to switch off
A poor work/life balance can make it difficult to switch off from work at night or at the weekends. But for the sake of your health, you need to be able to do this. Set some rules for yourself to help you leave work at the office. From not checking your emails to leaving your laptop at the office, you need to be firm about what is and isn’t acceptable. The more available you make yourself, the more people will expect you to be available. If you work from home, switching off can be even more difficult - your office is always there! But you can switch off when working from home by being strict with yourself, setting a firm working pattern and leaving your devices alone. Having a set routine will make it easier for you to plan your day, giving you a time to aim for to switch off in the evening.
Having a good work/life balance is something that many people strive to achieve, but it won’t happen without any effort. Taking steps to prioritize yourself and your health will help prevent you from working too much, leaving you feeling happier and more in control of your life. If your work/life balance needs fixing, start finding ways you can make it happen today.
This is a contributed post.
Photo: Kule
1 comment
Setting healthy boundaries and not checking mails after dinner or right before bed is something that I need to work on. It was much better before the pandemic, which messed my work-life balance up big time.
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