Work It Out
Five tips for a better work-life balance
Technology is a blessing and a curse. It is innovative with its connectivity, allowing users to reach out to every corner of the world at any time. Herein lies the curse too, though, as nowadays employees are expected to be available 24/7 as well, making a healthy work-life balance – essential for not only efficiency but mental health too – an impossible feat to achieve.
A Harvard Business School survey found that 94 per cent of working professionals clock in over 50 hours a week, with half of that percentage admitting to working over 65 hours. By living in an environment of a seemingly never-ending workday tinged with its inherent stresses, employees risk damage to their relationships, health and happiness.
This is an issue that society expects to solve by charging businesses with the responsibility to take action but so far we have only seen schemes as flexi-hours, sparse remote days and casual Thursdays or Fridays.
But the degree of balance an individual needs can only be struck by the individual.
“Never put the quality of your life in the hands of a commercial corporation because commercial companies are inherently designed to get as much out of you as they can get away with,” said Nigel Marsh, journalist and author of Fat, 40 and Fired in a TED talk.
“We have to be responsible for setting and enforcing the boundaries we want in our lives.”
“And if enough people do it we can change society’s definition of success away from the moronically simplistic notion that the person with the most money when he dies wins, to a more thoughtful and balanced definition of what a life well-lived looks like,” he added.
Never put the quality of your life in the hands of a commercial corporation because commercial companies are inherently designed to get as much out of you as they can get away with
Here are five tips to help you form and achieve your definition of a good balance:
Know yourself and your worth
Identify your priorities. What is important to you? What, and who, do you wish to engage with regularly? Once you have that jotted down, it will be easy to see which aspects of your current life need to be trimmed away and which need to be given more importance. After that, it is important to start setting firm boundaries so you can begin to give quality time to what you have deemed important.
Log out
As the office door closes behind you, so should your access to any work-related tasks for the day. By taking work home with you, a forever ongoing work environment is set and the stress that accompanies it will hang over your head at home. By creating clear boundaries, you allow time for other aspects of your life (family, social, leisure) to flourish which complement your work mindset.
Make a move
Exercise is one of the biggest stress reducers and yet the minute our calendars book up with meetings and events, it is the first thing to fall out of our lifestyle. Not only does exercise pump our body with feel-good endorphins but they also regulate our sleep and our mood, long after a workout. Exercise is also good at clearing out brain fog so if you ever feel stuck over a problem, try a quick five-minute heart-pumping workout.
Share the load
In fear of losing their value and then their job, many people tend to pile their plates high with responsibilities and develop a bad habit of always saying yes. If this sounds like you, then you need to understand the importance of sharing and delegating. You may think that by busying yourself with everything you are leaving a good impression on the higher-ups but by taking on tasks solo, or even those you are overqualified for, you are ultimately missing out on other, bigger opportunities and allowing unnecessary stress to trickle into your life. Be smart and share with your colleagues. Not only will this unload some pressure but it will be more efficient and free up time for you to pursue other matters.
Start small
As with any lifestyle change, the key to sustainability is to take baby steps so as not to overwhelm yourself and give up. Introduce tiny changes into your life, a day or a week at a time, at your own pace to increase chances of consistency.
