Strategies for balancing life and work in the technology sector

Recently, Claudia Rodriguez and I reflected on a crucial topic: how to balance work and personal life, especially in the tech field. In the European Union, only 34% of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are women. This low representation creates more pressure for women in these sectors, making it more complicated to balance work and personal life. Being few in number and feeling the constant need to prove their skills makes this balance even harder to achieve.

In our experience, we've found that this balance is key not just to feeling good, but also to being more creative and efficient at work. We want to share some strategies that have greatly helped us better organize our work and rest times, hoping they will serve you as well.

• Defining and respecting boundaries:

It's important to know when to say "no." This helps to avoid overburdening ourselves, especially when we work from home and it seems like we're always "connected." Setting boundaries, such as fixed work hours and a specific place to work, helps us not to mix work with our personal life.

• Prioritizing and delegating:

We learned to recognize which tasks are urgent and which can wait or be passed on to others. This helps us focus on what's most important, reducing stress and working more effectively.

• Using technology to our advantage:

Technology, especially artificial intelligence, is a great ally in organizing our time. It helps us separate work from personal life and suggests how to take better care of ourselves. With apps and online tools, we can be more efficient and find the balance we need between our career and our life outside of work.

• Time for self-care:

Making self-care a priority is essential. Including activities that are good for us in our day, like exercising or having a hobby, is key to staying happy and focused.

• Having a support network:

Having friends, family, and colleagues to share experiences and advice with strengthens us and helps maintain balance.

• Continuing to learn:

Professional growth motivates us and opens new opportunities. Staying updated and learning new things benefits us at work and makes us feel good.

• Being flexible:

The perfect balance is always changing. Being willing to adjust our plans according to circumstances helps us better handle the challenges of work and personal life.

These strategies have worked for us. We hope they help and inspire you to find balance, so you can grow both in your career and in your personal life. If you wish to delve deeper into the topic of gender equality in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we invite you to read the article by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya , which highlights the role of ONU Mujeres in promoting gender equality in STEM, as well as recommendations to promote female participation in these fields.