In an age where the office can be the kitchen table, the line between work-life and personal-life is blurred. It can offer the hope of more time in the day not spent on a commute but in the comfort of your own home. For many, it opened the door for work to take over their home and personal life. Being overworked can take a heavy toll on both your personal and professional life. Keep reading for 3 tips to create and maintain a healthier work-life balance.
It can be hard to say ‘no’ in a work environment. Setting boundaries and feeling comfortable turning down less important tasks can make it easier to do a better job at the things that matter most. The Mayo Clinic suggests that you “cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy or can't handle — or share your concerns and possible solutions with your employer or others.” This can be intimidating but will free up time and energy to do better work or decompress with time spent on yourself. Employers are also recognizing the importance of their employees maintaining a sustainable work-life balance. Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower compiled a document of tips on how employers in Singapore can support their employees in creating this balance and it offers helpful tips for employees too.
Work is important to prioritize and balancing it with personally fulfilling activities is just as important. When work consumes a majority of your time, it’s easy to forget what those activities even are. If you have trouble thinking of satisfying personal endeavors, think back to what you enjoyed doing as a child. Did drawing or reading interest you? Maybe you had a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. See if stargazing or learning about the stars brings you joy.
Activities and hobbies aren’t the only way to spend time on yourself. The Harvard Business Review conducted hundreds of interviews with London law professionals on maintaining a work-life balance. They found “one participant described how he still saw himself as a professional, but redefined that professional role to be more inclusive of other valued roles, such as that of parent.” Spend time with loved ones, friends or even meeting new people. Building a community can not only help you relax, but offer a system of support.
Turning off the phone or computer may seem as easy as hitting the power button, but logging off can sometimes feel impossible. The pressure to perform can be overwhelming and the demands of a job can be hard to deny. Defining your hours and responsibilities to yourself and your employer is important. Logging off when those are completed is necessary to maintain those boundaries. Business News Daily reminds us, “don't strive for the perfect schedule; strive for a realistic one… balance is achieved over time, not each day.”
Taking little things off your plate can relieve more stress than you may think. Even simple tasks like cooking or cleaning can feel like a heavy burden when you’re already overwhelmed. Sometimes ready-made meals like those we create at Arlene are just the ticket to help you relax and enjoy a delicious meal. Have fun with creating your work-life balance and perfection is not the goal, feeling better is.
