How many times during the past week have you found yourself saying “I’m so stressed out!”? How many times have you neglected family or your personal wellbeing for your job? How often has your social life suffered because you just don’t have the time?
The job market focuses on the speed and quantity of work. The only way to climb up the ladder and earn respect is to work harder. In a society where exhaustion is a status symbol, it is understandable if you feel the pressure to work till you drop. But if you find yourself having to choose between your work and your personal life, then it’s a sign that something needs to change. Your work and personal life aren’t enemies, they’re friends who need to get along well or you suffer the consequences.
Once considered a virtue, studies have now shown the extensive damage that overworking can do to your body and mind. Higher stress levels increase risk of disease, negatively affect your sleep and weight and can lead to depression and anxiety. Even workaholics by nature need a bit of stability. Otherwise their quality of work begins to suffer.
What is work life balance?
Work life balance refers to a state of equilibrium between work and your personal life. This equilibrium doesn’t mean that you have to allot equal time to all your activities; it simply means that the various aspects of your life should be in harmony with each other. Though by no means a new concept, it is still rarely seen among professionals.
Why is work life balance so hard to achieve?
The predominant factor seems to be a fear of unemployment or poor performance reviews. The recent downsizing across the USA due to Covid-19 has further contributed to this fear of losing one’s job, and employees are working overtime to prove their worth. Another factor that contributes to overwork is setting unrealistic expectations. These can be set either by yourself or your employer. There is only a certain amount of work that a person is capable of doing in a given period of time. Expecting more than that increases stress and lowers the quality of work. Organizational culture is also important in determining the attitudes of the people towards overwork. You are more likely to work on weekends if the rest of the office also comes in to work on the weekends.
After the lockdown, most workplaces have shifted online and for many people, the office and home are the same place. This has posed new challenges in maintaining work life balance.
Regardless of whether you work from home or not, here are some things you can do to help improve your work life balance.
Set Boundaries
The first step in maintaining a healthy work life balance is setting boundaries that reflect your priorities. Boundaries can include setting a limit on the number of hours you dedicate to work each week, or making space for socializing with your friends at least once a month. If you work from home, it is recommended to unplug for a few hours each day when you focus solely on the things at home.
The thing about boundaries is that it’s not enough to just set them; you have to consistently respect them as well. This can be hard to do. But you can make yourself accountable by asking a family member or friend to check up on you. You can also use apps such as Habitica and Stickk for this purpose. Over time, these practices will become easier for you to do.
Automate your Work
Not every task of an organization needs human attention. Chances are there is a lot of tedious grunt work in your organization that can be automated. Whatever your job, there is probably some aspect of it that can be automated to save precious time and effort. All you have to do is find the right tools for it. You can even order custom made software for your needs.
Having a centralized workspace can significantly speed up your business processes. There are plenty of automation tools you can use that will not only save time but will also increase productivity. Platforms like Zapier and Leadformly reduce workload and streamline processes. So make friends with technology and improve your quality of life.
Eliminate Distraction
Sometimes it can appear that you’ve been working for hours without getting much done. The reason for this is that you’re constantly distracted. That little harmless email notification that you opened is taking more of your time than the five minutes you spent reading it. Studies show that it takes twenty minutes to build back your concentration once you’ve been interrupted.
In his book Deep Work, renowned author Cal Newport writes, “To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction. Put another way, the type of work that optimizes your performance is deep work.” So working with full concentration will actually decrease the amount of time you have to spend on work.
Depending on your surroundings, limit your distractions. This can mean putting your phone on Do Not Disturb mode while working or closing the door to your room if you work from home. It’s also a good idea to keep a piece of paper nearby on which you can write anything that comes to mind while working. This will help you concentrate since you know you can revisit it later once you’ve finished your tasks.
Allow Room for Imperfections
Alpha personalities often have poor work life balance because they fall into the perfectionism trap – the idea that anything they produce has to be perfect. This creates a lot of pressure and they keep working but the project never seems to finish. Perfectionists on the other end of the spectrum can become chronic procrastinators. The idea of creating something perfect is so daunting that they delay even starting the process, causing guilt and stress to ruin their work life balance.
If you identify with the above categories, you must let go of the idea of perfection. In all honesty, nothing is perfect. No matter how much time you spend on a project, it is bound to have flaws, and that is okay. Good enough is good enough. Set deadlines for yourself and stick to them.
Share Responsibilities at Home
Managing work and home together can be a handful when you have a family, and it is possible that you might be taking on too much responsibility. If that is the case, then it is time for you to have an honest conversation with your partner. Explain that you’re taking on more than you can handle and find a solution that works for everyone. Doing so will not only lighten your workload but also improve the atmosphere of the whole house as you’ll be less stressed.
In conclusion, having a healthy work life balance is essential to your wellbeing and of those around you, and the quality of the work you produce. The public consciousness is awakening to the importance of health and wellbeing. Though still in its inception, a new wave of mindfulness is combating the toxicity within the hustle culture, and we may find hope in that for a future where wealth is not the only metric of success.
