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According to a Harvard Business School survey, 94 percent of working professionals work more than 50 hours per week, with over half reporting that they work more than 65 hours per week. Yikes!
Unfortunately, maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be difficult in a society where productivity and work-based performance take precedence over over sleep, social lives, and sometimes even family. After all, technology has made it possible for us to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and many people, fearful of losing their jobs, work longer hours than they would want, subsequently becoming stressed and unable to cope with life’s responsibilities.
Although it’s important to note that attaining a healthy work-life balance means different things to different people, most would likely agree that it implies establishing a better relationship between your professional life and your other responsibilities, such as family, relationships, and your mental and physical well-being. WIth that in mind, here are seven tips to help you find that balance and bring more harmony to your life.
Don’t be a perfectionist
First and foremost, you need to ditch perfectionism. While many people may hear perfectionism and think of it as a desirable trait, the truth is that it can be very destructive to your health and your performance at work. Over obsessing over the smallest details can lead to burnout in very short order, both mentally and physically, so try to be aware of when you feel as though you are being over-critical of yourself and setting unrealistic standards.
Boost productivity while working
If you want to balance your life by giving yourself more “free time,” then you need to boost your productivity while at work. One of the main reasons people feel overworked and unable to enjoy their lives is because they work at a slow pace for long hours. Instead, why not try to carve out several hyper-productive hours in the day so you can get home sooner and get back to doing what you enjoy?
Of course, this is far easier said than done, but a good place to start is by learning how to stop procrastinating and delaying important tasks.
Take regular breaks throughout the workday
Following on from the last point, if you want to be at your most productive during work hours, you simply need to factor in plenty of breaks to recharge your brain and improve creativity. There are plenty of ways you can do this, such as taking a walk outside, chatting with friends, or even playing free online strategy games such as solitaire before getting back to the task at hand.
Take time to disconnect
Desktops, laptops, smartphones, TVs, iPods, Kindles. Just about everything we do these days involves staring at a screen. And while this isn’t some sort of preach to tell you to completely eliminate screen time, there are certainly plenty of benefits to be had when disconnecting from the digital world and enjoying some “you time,” in the real world.
When unplugging from your work life, try to prioritize time with your friends and family. Go out and socialize. Get out in nature. Learn how to play an instrument. Whatever you do, ensure that you factor in frequent periods of disconnect so you can get back to being your true self.
Learn how to say “no”
Outside of your work obligations, learning how to say “no” could be one of the most powerful tools you will ever learn. If you’re the type of person that feels uncomfortable rejecting people’s requests to the point where you continually find yourself being dragged from pillar to post, then you simply need to take control of your life and your time. This doesn’t mean you have to be rude or hostile. Instead, practice the skill of politely declining people, and you will quickly come to realize how much time you have been wasting.
Structure your life more effectively
Time management is another essential skill for those seeking a healthy work-life balance. Following on from our previous points, if you are always rushing around or behind on your tasks, then it is highly likely that you’re always walking around with a high-stress baseline, which is terrible for your overall physical and mental health.
Whether you are struggling to cope with work demands or you can’t seem to find a routine that works for you when working remotely, adding a bit of structure to your life can help you regain control and manage the “unmanageable.” Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, organizes his day into 5-minute segments, and it seems to be working wonders for him. While you don’t have to go to this extreme, a bit of light planning may be all it takes to swing the pendulum.
Prioritize a healthy body and mind
Last but not least, you have to prioritize your health – both your mind and your body. Working long hours or dealing with many responsibilities in your personal life will take its toll on anybody, which is why it’s important to have an outlet for your stress. As you probably already know, most experts suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of strenuous aerobic activity each week to prevent the detrimental effects of stress.
In addition to this, try and implement some time to work on your mental health, too, with things such as meditation and yoga – and why not top it all off with a healthy diet and a good sleep pattern too. Your future self will thank you for it!
Final word
Many people wrongly assume that striving to create a healthier work-life balance means sacrificing one of those areas to improve the other, but that simply isn’t the case. With a few careful tweaks to your time management and how you approach your responsibilities, you should start to see big improvements in your work and home life. After all, when you are more relaxed and satisfied at home, you will almost certainly perform better at work, and vice versa.
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