Work-Life Balance: It Effects More in Your Life Than You Think.

6 Ways to Improve Work-Life Balance 

Do any of the above-mentioned signs hit too close to home? Worry not! 

Here are 6 tried-and-tested ways to improve your work-life balance:

#1. Set a Realistic Schedule

Ideally, you want to spend 8 hours on work, 8 hours on your friends, family, and hobbies, and 8 hours sleeping each day.

As perfect as it sounds, however, this sort of schedule isn’t feasible for most people. Life is unpredictable, and on some days you may have to spend more time with your family or, conversely, a weekend at work.

For this reason, it’s important that you don’t put too much pressure on yourself to perfectly stick to your schedule. 

Instead, you should measure your work-life balance over the long haul. For example, one weekend spent at work won’t affect your work-life balance, but if you spend most of your weekends working, it might take a toll on your family life.

As such, you want to set a realistic schedule based on your personal and professional responsibilities and goals. 

So, let’s say your personal goal is to learn to play the guitar. 

Sure, it may sound like a good idea to spend an hour every weekday evening strumming the strings, yet chances are more important responsibilities might come up that may change your schedule. As a result, you might not be able to consistently work on your new skill.

Rather than allocating a specific time to work on your goals, you want to outline your goals in your weekly schedule (e.g. spend 5 hours in total per week on guitar) and work on them whenever you have the time and energy after you’re finished with your daily responsibilities. 

As long as you don’t give in to procrastination, this makes it much easier to attain your personal and professional goals, as you don’t have to follow each step in your daily schedule to a T.

#2. Prioritize Your Well-being

Your work is important, but if you don’t keep your physical, emotional, and mental health in check, your productivity will suffer - and so will your work-life balance.

As such, it’s crucial to first and foremost prioritize your overall health by building healthy daily habits, such as:

• Spending at least 30 minutes getting fresh air and/or exercise to promote your physical well-being.
• Fostering personal relationships to maintain your emotional well-being (let’s be honest - no matter how busy you are, you can always spare a few minutes to call a friend).
• Adopting a daily personal practice, such as meditation, mindfulness, gratitude, or journaling to support your mental well-being.

Prioritizing your health is key to improving your work-life balance, as it also helps you detach from your work outside of your working hours.

So, if you have a habit of checking your work emails on your commute, for example, consider using that time for something that supports your overall well-being, whether it’s listening to music, meditating, or chatting with your friends. 

#3. Learn to Say ‘No’

‘No’ is a short, yet powerful word - and so, it’s no surprise that many people have a hard time being firm in saying ‘no’ to their employers, family members, and other people.

While being a helpful colleague is great, moderation is key as people-pleasing behavior can negatively affect your career and health. 

For example, you may agree to take on more projects than you physically can complete, which can lead you to unmet deadlines and expectations, little to no time for personal life, and burnout in the workplace.

As such, learning to say ‘no’ is vital to improving your work-life balance since it allows you to set boundaries and create harmony between your work and personal life.

Just think about it - if you set the right priorities at work and at home, learning to say ‘no’ to lower priority tasks will allow you to have more time for meaningful activities both at home and at work.

Saying ‘no’ at work doesn’t come easy? Consider proposing an alternative.

For example, if a colleague asks you to take on a task, negotiate to take on just a part of it or ask them to help you with a task you're currently working on first. 

#4. Make Good Use of Your Breaks

Truth be told, people aren’t designed to work non-stop, and you may be surprised to find out that working long hours doesn't increase your productivity. 

In fact, according to research, the most productive employees have 17-minute breaks following every 52 minutes of work. 

As such, to improve your work-life balance AND productivity, it’s important that you take regular breaks while working.

Not to mention, you should use your breaks to the fullest instead of checking your emails or scrolling industry-related news.

So, here are some tips to ensure high-quality breaks that will leave you refreshed and energized:

• Leave the office. Instead of staying in the office (or your room, if you work from home), go out for a walk. You can also grab lunch at a nearby restaurant or organize a short picnic with your colleagues.
• Socialize. Talking to your colleagues or calling your friends can help you de-stress and boost your mood.
• Have some ‘me time.’ Spend time doing whatever brings you joy and helps you relax, whether it’s reading a book, drawing, or watching your favorite TV series. This works especially well for introverts, and even more so for those with jobs that require plenty of communication (e.g. customer service).

#5. Work From Home the Right Way

Maintaining a good work-life balance can be significantly harder when you’re working from home - at the end of the day, your home is also your office, so you may find it hard to separate the two.

So, here are 3 effective tips that can help you create a healthy work-life balance while working remotely: 

1. Define your working hours. If you have a flexible schedule as part of your remote job, make sure to set specific working hours. Ideally, you want to find out when you’re most productive and do most of your tasks during that time. This will allow you to increase your productivity and avoid working until the late hours of the night.
2. Designate a working space. Working from bed can make it difficult to unplug from work. Luckily, you don’t need a separate room to create a workspace - a desk is more than enough. If that’s not possible, consider using separate Internet browsers for your work and personal activities to create a distinction between the two.
3. Have a morning routine. Although you may be tempted to work in your pajamas, it actually can have a negative impact on your mental well-being. As such, make sure to have a morning routine to help you get ready for work, such as brushing your teeth, taking a shower, eating breakfast, and dressing up for work.

#6. Speak Out

To improve your work-life balance, consider telling your employer about your needs. This way, you might find a solution that will work great both for you and your company.

If you have children, for example, try asking your employer for a flexible schedule, compressed workweek, or another option that would allow you to spend more time with your family and take care of your children.

If, however, responsibilities at home keep you from being productive at work, you might want to talk to your family about possible solutions. 

For example, if you’re trying to manage having a full-time job and taking care of an elderly parent, you may want to discuss the option of joining a program at an adult daycare center.

Alternatively, if you feel like your work-life balance is getting out of control, you may want to talk to a mental health provider to explore your options and learn to cope with your work and personal responsibilities healthily.