Maintaining a healthy balance in your personal and professional life is more challenging than ever in today’s hectic world. Technology is supposed to make life easier and yet, it can often remove the boundaries between home and work, creating added stress in the process.
However, working toward better balance is important for a healthy life. Here’s why and what you can do to improve yours.
Why Work Life Balance is Important
Career success is placed on a pedestal in our culture. As a result, workers will take on more responsibility on the job without thinking about how it will affect their quality of life overall. In addition, with a shortage in employees, your company might be expecting you to work longer hours, even though you have increasing responsibilities at home.
This is the perfect storm for burnout. Before it goes that far, though, you can recalibrate your life, so you have a greater sense of well-being. This is important not only for your mental health, but your physical health too. In fact, chronic stress can contribute to a host of health issues, which is why balance is key.
How to Achieve a Better Work Life Balance
Some ways you can create a better balance in your life include:
Make sure you unplug.
One of the biggest factors impacting work life balance is technology. When you’re checking your emails and writing up reports at night, outside of normal business hours, this adds up to exhaustion and eventual burnout. So unless there’s a true work emergency, aim to unplug when you’re not at work.
Put your health first.
If you’re overwhelmed and exhausted, then it’s going to impact your physical, emotional, and mental health in a negative way. While you can’t change your life overnight, do start making some small, healthy changes.
Go to bed earlier, so you get more rest. Drink more water and skip the takeout during lunch. Try to walk whenever you can instead of taking an elevator and get outside on your lunch break. As these become a habit, add in more steps, like creating a regular workout routine and sticking to a healthier diet.
Take a break.
It sounds counterintuitive, but taking a break can actually make you more productive. You’ll come back feeling refreshed and renewed. So aim to take time off, even if you’re simply hanging out at home for a stay-cation for a few days. Everyone deserves a break and with proper planning, you can take time away without adding to your stress or workload.
Create goals and priorities.
While breaks and vacations are great, you still have a lot of work to get done. To make sure you’re on track, set goals and prioritize them. Make sure when you’re working toward them, you’re also blocking time out in your day where you can turn off email and phone notifications and simply focus. Before you start each day, make a list of the essentials you have to complete and structure your day around those.
Find a job that makes you happy.
If part of the reason you’re stressed and burned out is due a job you don’t love, turn to Snelling Georgia Group for help. We can give you access to rewarding jobs that are a better fit for your lifestyle and help you maintain a healthy work life balance. Contact us today to get started!
