5 Great Tips on How to Improve Work-Life Balance

In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, it’s very easy to get lost in all the technicalities or logistics of getting through every day. Our drive to succeed in our profession may make us lose sight of our very own well-being, our families, and what we deem to be our lives’ purpose.

How to improve work life balance

Work-life balance is essential because it reminds us of the importance of the other vital aspects of our lives besides work. It’s not only beneficial to the personal well-being aspect, but also even to our careers. Having a good balance between work and life might just give you the enlightenment you will need for those challenges at work.

Now, while the concept of work-life balance packs up a good promise for the betterment of our lives overall, it may not be as easy to come by than some would assume. To help you out, here are a couple of tips to help you achieve that equilibrium between work and life and get your daily calendar on the right, holistic, and healthy track.

How to Improve Work-Life Balance
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1. Understand that there no one-size-fits-all work-life balance

The thought of a healthy work-life balance may make the impression of a perfectly scheduled week, where you’re getting everything done on time at work, timing out early, and spending the rest of the day on your preferred R&R activity. This sounds great, definitely. However, achieving this won’t be an overnight process. There is no standard step-by-step guide that fits everyone’s conditions and goals either.

The number one tip to achieving a good work-life balance is to avoid striving for the perfectly perfect routines. The key rule is to remain rooted in the concrete conditions and circumstances. There are no absolutes when it comes to improving one’s lifestyle.

There will come days that your workload is heavy or your main focus should be directed at work to achieve your objectives. There will also be days that you have to allot for your personal growth and well-being. Balance is found over a course of time and after some practical experiences to learn from. It becomes a matter of knowing your priorities and goals and managing them well.

2. Find your own balance

Following the first tip, the next key tip is to strike up your own balance. What’s crucial here is having a sense of flexibility and keenness when assessing short-term and long-term objectives, thereby knowing where to allot your time and energy for a certain period of time.

Find your preferred work flow and ideal setup will require a good assessment of your strengths, weakness, and goals. While you’re in the process, a positive outlook geared towards self improvement will help in producing better and better results.

3. Work smarter, not harder

This tip is inspired by the words of the Mental Health Foundation: “Work smart, not long.” What does this mean exactly?

Related to the past two tips, working smarter is having a sufficient understanding of what’s on the line, what the goals are, and what needs to be done given the conditions and state of the entities that will work to achieve it. It means allowing yourself a reasonable amount of time and preparations for particular tasks based on past experience.

There is a difference between working long hours but getting very minimal done and working shorter hours but ticking off more boxes on the to-do list.

4. Detox from your devices every once in a while

If you don’t do this yet every weekend for a work-life balance, maybe it’s time to clearly establish days that you’re detached from your cell phone or laptop. While this may be anxiety-inducing for some, it is a good way for you to refocus and redirect your energy to life outside of our screens. As a baby step, you can even establish a special hands-off hour each day.

These may be the moments you will realize you’ve forgotten to treat your sick skin or maybe you’ve grown interested to learn some strength exercises for your ideal body build. Going “off the grid” or momentarily escaping the screens we’re always in front of will definitely do wonders for you in terms of destressing.

5. Set boundaries for work and life

When are your working hours and when are your R&R hours? These boundaries and limits are very crucial for you to avoid checking work e-mails or answering work inquiries while you’re out with your parents on their anniversary.

Upon leaving the workplace or logging out, take a deep breath and acknowledge that that means you’re out the door and your office is now closed. This sense of closure is very important because it’s what will delineate the line between work and home.

To add, for those who are working from home, it helps to allot a specific area in your house mainly for work purposes. This can be a room or a corner where you spend your working hours. This will regularly remind us that when we’re not in that space, work should not be on our minds and you can go ahead and learn about those different types of massages you’ve been trying to study for your partner.

Work-life balance in the time of the flexible workplace

Striking up a good work-life balance becomes all the more challenging in the time of the flexible workplace. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started and most professions opted for a blended or work-from-home setup, the boundaries between work and home often tend to become blurred.

This then becomes a time that it is critical that we delineate work from home and life better so we do not lose ourselves in a robotic routine that will ultimately lead to lowered morale incapable of being productive.

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