For many in the corporate world, the phrase, ‘work-life balance’ is no new thing. It is hailed as the antidote to work stress and gets flung around in workers’ training. HR personnel recite it ever so often and employment handbooks have it boldly written in them. However, dividing your time between work and your personal life is easier said than done.
In a growing era of remote work (partial or full), many workers have expressed difficulties in achieving a healthy work-life balance.
In this article, you would learn what work-life balance is a result of poor management of work and leisure and how to create a balance in such a way that no sphere of your life suffers.
Work-life balance involves separating your personal life from your professional life in a way that neither life is neglected nor obtrudes the other. Both facets have to be equally regarded and given adequate and suitable attention at the right time. Many people tend to over-commit to their work. A proper combination of work and personal life is important for emotional, and mental well-being which would, in turn, increase output.
Your work timetable/to-do list should be favourable to you. When drawing it up, think of the most ideal approach to accomplish balance at work and in your own life. Work-life balance should not be conflated with isolating the hours in your day equally among work and individual life. It should, instead, be about having the adaptability to complete things in your professional life while also having time and energy to make the most of your own life.
A 50-50 balance in the true sense can never be achieved, as there might be some days where you work longer hours so you have time later in the week to unwind or meet up with non-work-related activities.
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Taking on more responsibilities at work can negatively impact your ability to balance your career and personal life. While some workers may be ablen to quickly re-organize their time and assignments (with others welcoming it as a career advancement), it may not be the same for you. You may at first find it difficult to balance the new obligations. The additional work can wear you out in such a way that you barely have time to entertain anything that is not work-based. Overall, it may affect your productivity.
Additional time can be gainful for employees and organizations. It allows the organization to handle unexpected absences and changes in demand without hiring extra staff. It equally gives employees additional income at a premium rate. Nonetheless, additional time has its drawbacks as well. While many workers will eagerly take as much extra time as possible, there is growing evidence that too much reliance on overtime can be harmful to both the employee and the work itself.
You try to balance your work and personal life, but your commute often gets in the way. Long hours spent in traffic will leave you stressed and feeling like you can’t afford to lose any time in your day. If you have to drive through heavy congestion, it’s common to spend 60 minutes, two hours, or even more each day stuck in traffic. Over time, this stressful commute can negatively affect your health and productivity.
Although it seems like it is the professional life that usually corrodes the personal, it is not always so. If you are dealing with increased obligations at home, it would most likely reflect in your output. Things like marriages, divorces, raising children, and losing a loved one can wear you out and tip the work-life balance scale in a glaringly disproportionate way.
The downsides of poor compartmentalization of your professional and personal life are pretty dire. You might not see the outcome immediately, but it eventually trickles down. The following may arise from poor work and life balance:
Health issues – fatigue, high blood pressure, heart diseases and so on.
Strained relationships – estrangements, divorces may arise from your constant neglect of your personal relationships.
Reduced work productivity – which defeats the purpose of overworking yourself in the first place.
Heightened expectations – once you prove yourself as being over-dedicated to your career, it would most likely lead to even more responsibilities being assigned to you. Sure, you might get the applause; maybe even a raise, but you would also be allotted more tasks that would mean more stress and challenges.
To combat being over-dedicated to your work in such a way that your personal life suffers, or your personal life overshadows your professional input, you must first acknowledge that you are human with limits. Many times, when you picture work-life balance, you most likely envision having an incredibly profitable day at work, and leaving right on time to spend the other portion of the day with loved ones. While this may appear to be ideal, it is not generally conceivable. Try not to make progress toward the ideal timetable; take a stab at a sensible one. Sometimes, you may focus more on work, while other days you have more time and energy to enjoy hobbies or spend with friends and family. Balance is achieved over time, not necessarily every single day.
The feeling of being overwhelmed with work can be expunged by taking some time off. Studies have shown that workers who take vacations experience lower stress levels, reduced rates of heart disease, improved mental refreshment, and increased motivation. The importance of taking vacations from work cannot be stressed enough. Taking a break from your daily work routine helps reinvigorate you. It keeps you from overworking yourself, thus making you more creative and productive especially in comparison to other workers who are overworked and under-rested.
Getaways from work do not have to be grand, anything relaxing will do. A break from work will give you the opportunity to turn off and have fun, it is additionally an incredible chance to recover and energize.
For some, going on a vacation might be drastic for multiple reasons. If going on vacation isn't a possibility for you, it is essential to refresh yourself by taking little breaks for the duration of the day. The human body is not intended to gaze at a computer screen for a long, uninterrupted period of time. Breaks are essential for your well-being and psychological balance
To help manage stress, try taking short breaks during the day to move around or stretch. You could also suggest starting walking groups with your coworkers to get some fresh air together. Finding small ways to stay active and connect with others can really improve your mood and focus at work.
As stated earlier, your time-off from work does not necessarily equate to globetrotting. It could simply be spending time with your loved ones. Often, you may relegate hanging out with family and friends to meet your job demands; but it should not totally rob you of socialization.
You have to always have it at the back of your mind that you were a person before starting your job, and humans need to unplug as well. You are not a machine and you need to create time for the hobbies or diversions that fulfill you.
It is advisable to make a schedule for sentimental and family dates. It might appear to be abnormal to design one-on-one time with somebody you live with, yet it will guarantee that you invest quality time with them without work-life strife. Being a dedicated member of staff and being passionate about your job does not mean you should abandon human connections.
Plan your Day Carefully and Avoid Deviations
Watch out for when you are generally productive at work and note it down for your most significant business related exercises. Abstain from browsing through your phone, checking messages and making calls at regular intervals, as those are significant time-squandering activities that affect your concentration and efficiency. Organizing your day can build efficiency at work, which can bring about more opportunities to unwind outside of work.
If you have to endure a stressful commute to work, working remotely would help solve that. You can work from your ideal location, travel, and spend more time with your loved ones – while still contributing to your quota to organization’s success. The key to working remotely is also ensuring flexible scheduling. In addition to pursuing what you want to pursue outside of the four walls of your company, you also have the option to take care of their needs.
You want to take your children to the park? Pay the doctor a visit? No problem at all. Just make sure your tasks are completed while also creating an effective line of communication.
Overall, work-life balance is not a one-size-fits-all. It means different things to different people. You must define what it means and then apply the tips or fine tune them to your own liking. Cheers to you achieving a healthy work-life balance!
Learnmore on how to remain productive when working from home
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