Work-life balance has risen tremendously in importance in the last couple of decades.
The main reason for this is the incredibly fast life pace typical for this day and age, something our predecessors haven’t struggled with. But the truth is we are now.
The value of this equilibrium has risen so much that many young workers list it as one of the most important benefits a future employer could offer.
So, let’s say our company is doing everything it can in order to provide us with the healthiest environment possible. Kudos to it! Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods yet.
No company can get inside your head and make you feel peaceful, relaxed and stress-free. The best option is to figure out what you can do for yourself. Below you can find a couple of useful tips and ideas to help you achieve work-life balance.
And if the disbalance is coming from your employer, share this with them too!
Focus and Compartmentalise Both Worlds
Once the concept of working from home and flexible and fluid working hours has been introduced, many felt relieved that the 9-to-5 office has begun retiring.
But soon we got to see the other side of the coin. Being able to work whenever you want also means being available to your employer and your clients whenever they want, as well. This is one of the biggest issues when it comes to acquiring work-life balance.
No matter what kind of contract you have, or however the arrangement is set up with your employer, don’t allow yourself to be available all the time.
This only means your brain won’t know when to draw the line and you will be thinking about laundry while writing work e-mails and texting your coworkers in the middle of cooking dinner.
It’s a lose-lose situation since nobody gets full attention, and your concentration will be irreparably damaged.
Get Help and Use It Wisely
Chances are you won’t be able to do everything yourself. Depending on what the issues you struggle with are, you should get a program, an app or a person to help you.
If you are struggling with prioritising, get an app to track all of your tasks and alert you when something is due. If you are always forgetting things, there are various systems you could use for that.
One of the biggest causes of stress are money issues, so regardless of your background and current employment, it would be advisable to get a financial advisor. Figuring out your finances is the best and the most important step to getting balance and a solid foundation.
Figure Out What Your Best Stress Releases Are
Letting go of built-up stress is not easy for anyone. Perhaps you hear a lot of stories from your friends or online that make them seem like they have it all.
Being exposed to all of that in the middle of a 60-hour work week that ends in a messy family dinner and a pile of unwashed dishes can make you feel pretty inadequate.
The truth is that you will probably never have the time to do everything you want, and that is okay. But while you are doing your absolute best, you deserve to let go of all that stress.
Do some research, try out a couple of ideas and then you will know what works best for you in terms of stress release. Stick to that approach and routine and you will have a lot more mental energy available to deal with the complexities of work-life balance.
Learn How to Say No – The Hardest Skill of All
One of the main reasons people are struggling to achieve peace and balance in their everyday life isn’t because they are inefficient, not motivated enough or lack more pristine values. The main reason is the fact that they are taking on more work than they can handle.
Your niece’s ballet recital? You will be there. The report needs to be done over the weekend? You volunteer. The house needs to be painted?
There is no need to hire contractors, you can do it in a day. And the list goes on and on. The inability to say no is impacting your mental health in ways that you can’t imagine.
Burnout is the buzzword of modern-day psychology, and for good reason. If you aren’t able to take care of the issue of being overbooked, you will probably end up not being able to do anything at all.
If you are struggling with this, take it one day at a time and don’t give up. After a while, you will be able to refuse and reject without feeling guilty.
If you are striving to achieve work-life balance, focus on this aspect and you will surely see immense change.