Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance

One of the most important aspects of achieving optimal mental, emotional, and physical health is achieving a good work-life balance.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people switched to remote work, this has become harder and harder. Even with the “pandemic era” coming to an end, many people still work remotely, which forces them to try to draw a line between their work lives and their personal time.

While it’s always been common for people to “bring their work home with them,” it’s even more prevalent now that many people are working from home.

Unfortunately, some employers have taken this as an opportunity to expect employees to always be ready to do something work-related, even when their scheduled hours are over.

Even if your employer doesn’t expect you to work outside of your scheduled hours, you may be a workaholic who just doesn’t know when and how to turn off your professional life.

While it’s certainly admirable to want to be a good employee, doing so at the risk of your relationships with others and your personal interests isn’t good for you on any level.

Today, learn more about how to achieve work-life balance.

What is Work-Life Balance?

The first step in achieving work-life balance is to understand what the term really means. On the surface, it seems to mean that you’re striking the balance between working and enjoying your personal time.

However, it goes beyond that. Work-life balance also includes how you feel when you’re outside of your professional setting.

When you take on extra responsibilities at work, it’s natural for you to experience more stress. It’s even normal for those added responsibilities to cause you to work more hours.

However, when all you can think about is work, the project that’s due next week, or what your boss meant with the email that they sent to you, it’s safe to assume that you’re not achieving a good work-life balance.

Ultimately, work-life balance is about having some established boundaries between your work life and your personal life.

While this doesn’t mean that you neglect your responsibilities at work, it does mean that you don’t find your identity in what you do for a living. Remember, you work to live the life that you want to have. You don’t live to work.

Master Time Management

One of the biggest reasons that people struggle with their work-life balance is that they’re bad at managing time.

Ideally, you have a pretty good idea of what you need to get done at work each day, so start your day by making a list of those things.

The way that you list them is up to you. Some people choose to complete their hardest tasks first while others focus on the things that are going to take the most time.

Invest in a planner or something else to help you get organized and learn how to manage your time.

Be Productive

One of the best ways to achieve a healthy work-life balance is to be productive during your working hours. 60% of Americans feel like their work-life balance is not working for them.

While there are certainly some people among that number who have terrible bosses who make life harder for them, it’s safe to assume that others aren’t being as productive as they could be during their working hours, which results in the need to work late, take work home, or to experience stress related to their jobs.

When you’re at work, commit to getting your work done. Being a productive employee doesn’t mean that your job takes over your entire life.

If you work 40 hours a week, commit to being focused on your job while you’re there. This means that you don’t spend your working hours scrolling through social media and avoiding work.

While we often think of achieving a good work-life balance as a way to enjoy your personal time more, it’s not a license to neglect your professional responsibilities.

Establish Some Boundaries

Establishing boundaries between personal and professional is especially important if you’re a remote worker.

If you have a designated area in your home that you use as an office, it’s important that you treat it like you would if you were working from an office with your boss nearby.

However, it’s equally important that you don’t continue going into your home office after your working hours are over to try to get ahead on the next day’s tasks.

When you’re tempted to do that, ask yourself a question. Would you drive across town to your place of employment, unlock the office, and sit down and work for two or three hours?

If not, don’t let yourself go into your home office to work after your hours are over. Doing so means that you’re neglecting other things that bring you fulfillment.

For those who don’t work from home, having boundaries is equally as important. Once you commit to being productive during your working hours, you must let yourself mentally clock out when you physically leave your place of work.

Taking reports home, working on digital presentations, and doing other work-related activities in your personal time is taking your attention away from other things. Whether it’s time with your family or the joy that comes from a hobby, having boundaries is vital.

Take Breaks

Workaholics who struggle with achieving a good work-life balance often find themselves working through company-approved breaks and lunches.

While labor laws vary from state to state, every state has laws in place that dictate when you get breaks and how long they last. Take advantage of those opportunities to walk away from your work for a few minutes throughout the day.

As tempting as it is to have lunch at your desk or to skip that 15-minute paid break so you can get more done, doing so actually decreases your productivity and increases the likelihood of experiencing burnout.

When you take your breaks and lunches at work, be unplugged from your work responsibilities. Give yourself the mental reset that you need to be the best version of yourself while you’re working.

Take Vacations

Many employers also have programs in place that allow you to “sell” your vacation days to the company at the end of the year.

While that’s certainly a good option if you have a day or two left over, it’s important that you take some time off throughout the year to decompress and focus on things that you want to do.

The economy is certainly in a state of flux right now, which means that it’s not possible for everyone to take a week off work, even one with pay, and travel.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t take a week off work and stay home. Staycations have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and they play a major role in achieving a good work-life balance.

Exercise

It may seem odd to see exercise on a list of tips for balancing work and life, but there are psychological benefits associated with exercising.

When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins that trigger the pleasure center of your brain, allowing you to feel more joy and pleasure throughout the day.

This improved mood can also help you have a better outlook on your professional life, which means that you’re likely to be more productive.

Additionally, when you have a daily exercise routine, you’ll probably improve your sleep quality. This allows you to rest better at night, increasing your productivity when you start your workday.

Get a Hobby

Finally, one of the biggest obstacles that stand between many people and a good work-life balance is a lack of things to do when they’re not working.

If you stop working at 5 PM and feel like you have nothing to do in the evenings, it’s easy to assume that you can get ahead with some work.

If you don’t have anything that you’re looking forward to doing when your workday ends, you’ll probably be tempted to stay late every time the opportunity presents itself.

Find something that you enjoy doing and start doing it. There are dozens of studies that focus on the psychological and emotional benefits of having healthy hobbies.

Whether it’s learning how to do something new or picking up a hobby that you enjoyed years ago, find something that you enjoy to fill your non-working hours.

Finding Your Balance

These tips for balancing work and life provide a great starting point. As you pursue a healthier, more balanced version of yourself, be adaptable.

There will be times when you have to work some overtime. There will be instances in which you have to tackle a big project at the last minute.

Achieving a good work-life balance isn’t about refusing to ever do anything extra at work. Instead, it’s about knowing your limits and prioritizing your mental health.