4 Strategies for Better Work-Life Balance

With more and more demands being made on your time, it can be a challenge to juggle the pressures of your job and personal life. With advances in technology and your boss making more demands on your time, there is no longer a clear boundary between home and the workplace. The result is more stress in your daily life and running the risk of emotional and physical burnout.

In this article, you will find out 4 simple ways to keep your work life and home life in balance. This will help you better manage your time and benefit from healthier relationships.

First of all, what are the consequences of an imbalance between work and home life?

The Consequences of Work-Life Imbalance

It can be tempting to put in extra hours at work, especially if there have been layoffs and cutbacks in your industry. Or, you may be looking to get that coveted promotion and move up the career ladder. However, spending more time at work will have a negative impact on your home life.

It’s good to think about the consequences of not getting the work-life balance right:

• Increased fatigue. Feeling tired and lacking energy will affect your productivity at work and impact your thinking ability. This can cause strain on your personal relationships and affect your professional reputation.
• Health issues. The American Psychological Association says that research has shown that stress weakens the immune system. This can aggravate any underlying health condition that you already have or make you suffer from more colds and flu.
• Relationships suffer. The extra hours you are putting in at work can negatively impact relationships with your partner, children, and friends.
• You get even more work. Always being willing to “go the extra mile” at work will make you the best candidate to pile even more work onto.

How can you strike a better work-life balance and avoid the negative consequences of working too much?

Here are top 4 tips to improve work-life balance

Top Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

1 Set limits

It’s impossible to make time because we all have a limit of 24 hours each day. Not setting limits can play havoc with your work-life balance. If you plan your time and set limits on how you use the hours you have each day, you will regain better work-life balance.

Here are some ideas to set limits:

• Prioritise your most important tasks and do these first.
• Delegate or cut out activities that you can’t handle. However, remember to speak to your boss if you have to cut back on work-related tasks.
• Make a list and include necessary personal events in your calendar.
• Learn to say no and free up time for activities that you enjoy doing.

2 Analyse your activities

It can be tempting to waste time on non-essential activities and end up feeling that you have no time left in the day. So, be careful on how much time you spend watching TV, playing computer games, or viewing your friends’ Facebook profiles.

Renowned psychologist Marilyn Puder-York recommends reducing the amount of time you spend on activities that don’t enhance your personal life. This will “buy out” time for less important activities to spend with family and friends. It will also increase your efficiency at work.

3 Stay fit and healthy

You also need regular time each week to exercise and keep yourself fit if you want to enjoy work-life balance.

News site CNN reported on a study showing that exercise helps the brain produce endorphins which boost your feelings of well-being. This can give you feeling of being more in control and feel happier in general.

It was reported that exercise can help to prevent depression and anxiety and respond better to stress.

4 Take time out to relax

It seems that there is so much to do and so much to cram into each minute to keep a work-life balance. However, you should always remember the power of relaxing. Even little steps can help you to regain work-life balance.

For example, doctors on WebMD recommend taking out 10 or 15 minutes each day to recharge your batteries. This might be something as simple as taking a bath, going for a walk, or listening to some music. This may be all you need to bring back work-life balance to your life.

One way that you can help your staff and employees to learn how to balance their work life with their home life is to organise a corporate event with a keynote speaker. Many of the professional speakers at Successful Speakers have life experience in successfully balancing many responsibilities in both their professional careers and their personal life.

If you would like to arrange for one to give coaching tips at your next corporate event, then please contact us.