Useful Advice for a Better Work-Life Balance

Yes – if you’re like most people you need to work to survive and generally the more you work the larger your paycheck. But there are real dangers to having an imbalanced work life; isolation from friends and family, burnout, poor sleeping habits, obesity, and heart disease are only a few examples.

So how can you achieve a better work-life balance and avoid these problems? Try following these simple tips.

Set Boundaries at Work

Do you get work emails well after office hours? Are you often pulled into meetings you had no intention of attending? Are leave days and holidays ruined by frequent calls from work colleagues? Then, you lack work boundaries.

Preferably, you should set boundaries at work early on. Still, it’s never too late to do so. Start by communicating your expectations to your boss. Politely explain the ways in which you need to have more control over your time at work.

If politely communicating your boundaries doesn’t work, try being more assertive via your actions. For example, if you’re asked to attend an unnecessary meeting outside of your normal working hours, simply don’t attend and communicate from home that you have prior commitments.

Of course, there will always be occasions when you have to work overtime. But these should be exceptions and not the norm.

Don’t Schedule Everything for the Weekend

Admittedly, weekdays can be exhausting and it’s rather tempting to schedule non-work-related activities for the weekend. The problem with this approach is that work gets 5 days of the week while your personal life only gets two- a clear imbalance.

So do things besides work during the weekdays! Use your lunch break to go for a walk, read a book or just relax. In the evenings, schedule a fun activity with friends or family whether it’s renovating your garage with garage art or attending a trivia night event. By filling up your weekdays with enjoyable activities, you won’t need to spend all your time on the weekends trying to balance things up and getting overwhelmed.

Use Apps

Apps are very handy. From tracking workouts to chatting with people miles away, there’s an app for everything. So, there are definitely apps that can help you achieve a better work-life balance.

For example, with productivity and time management apps you can keep track of your time and schedule your day more efficiently to get more done in less time so that you have more free time for your personal life.

There are even apps that let you control work-related notifications after work hours. This way you can avoid the temptation of checking work emails or taking work calls outside of office hours.

Achieving a better work-life balance is possible with a bit of effort. By setting boundaries at work, enjoying your free time during the week, and using apps to manage your time more efficiently, you can easily achieve a better balance. Give it a try!