The search for a healthy work-life balance is a process in which people seek to change things in accordance with changes in their own priorities, physical, psychological or both.
Our schedules are getting busier than ever before, which often causes our work or our personal lives to suffer. Work-life balance involves juggling workplace stress with the daily pressures of family, friends, and self.
Why is a healthy work-life balance so important?
When employees feel a greater sense of control and ownership over their own lives, they tend to be able to leave work issues at work and home issues at home. Balanced employees tend to feel more motivated and less stressed out at work thus, increasing company productivity.
Exercise and meditate
Even when we're busy, we make time for the crucial things in life, we eat and we sleep. Yet one of our most crucial needs, exercise is often the first thing to go when our calendars fill up. Exercise is an effective stress reducer. It releases feel-good endorphins through our bodies. It also helps lift your mood by also putting you in a meditative state.
Prioritising your time
At the end of every day, do a brief assessment of your daily activities. How did you spend your time? Which parts of your day were most and least productive? Are there activities in your day that don't seem to add anything? If so, cut them out. Your time is too valuable to misuse on these activities and is best dedicated elsewhere.
Unplug
We live in a connected world that never sleeps. Cutting ties with the outside world from time to time allows us to recover from weekly stress and gives us space so other thoughts and ideas can emerge. When you are always on, you don't allow other things to surface that might be more important.
Let go of perfectionism
A lot of overachievers develop perfectionist tendencies at a young age when demands on their time are limited to school, hobbies and maybe an after-school job. As you climb the ladder at work and as your family grows, your responsibilities mushroom. The key to avoid burning out is to let go of perfectionism, as life gets more expanded it's very hard, both neurologically and psychologically, to keep that habit of perfection going.
Ask for help
We are more productive and happier in our lives when we have a strong support system around us. So reach out to your network. Learn to accept that sometimes the demands upon you are greater than what you can shoulder, and humbly ask those around for you help. But always make sure that when the tide turns you're willing to help for those in your support system when they need it, too.
We all have competing demands in life, and the busier we get, the easier it is to get swept away into an unbalanced dynamic. Fortunately, though, it's not too hard to hit the reset button and find that happy medium again.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
