As we leave the carefree days of our twenties, moving up the career ladder and taking on more and more responsibilities – we can find ourselves feeling more than a little frazzled by the end of the working week. It is a commonly held societal expectation that we can and should have it all: great jobs that we are good at, perfect kids who benefit from excellent parenting, and a home and relationship that makes us feel happy and secure.
Twenty first century technology has turned the world into a global market place that never stops – so we never stop either. Racing along to keep up with the demands of life in 2017 is no mean feat, and if you don’t take action to work out a healthy life-work balance – you could find yourself suffering from burnout, anxiety and physical and mental exhaustion. To make sure you’re able to keep all those balls in the air and emerge relatively unscathed, here’s how to address your life-work balance…
- Be a boundary person
One of the best ways to take control of a work life that is spilling over into your family, friend and leisure time is by establishing firm boundaries. If you need to be out of the office by 5.30 to make it in time for dinner with the family, don’t take a call at 5.20 pm – and let your colleagues and boss know that you can’t take on any more work at that time.
When you get home, make the effort to change into comfortable clothes – sitting around in your tailored office gear will make it much more difficult to switch off. Work out the best ways for winding down before you go to bed, such as reading, taking a bath or practicing yoga or meditation techniques. Once you’ve got the best formula for getting a good night’s sleep, make a point of performing the same routine every night. Before too long, your mind and body will associate the routine as a cue to relax without any concerted effort.
- Switch off your phone
There’s not much point in making the effort to get home from work at a reasonable time if you are going to spend your evening fielding calls and emails. Additionally, if you answer your phone or reply to emails out of normal working hours, people will come to expect a response from you whenever they get in touch – whether it suits you or not. Turn your phone off to send a clear signal that you are finished for the day, and your contacts and colleagues will have more respect for you.
- Get an escape hatch
There’s not much point in working hard to earn a decent salary if you don’t get the time and means to enjoy your success. Consider purchasing a nice little bit of real estate in a faraway town, city or country. Being able to physically remove yourself from the pressures of daily life when you need to can make it considerably easier to achieve a healthy work-life balance.
- Take control of your finances
Making sure that you are staying on top of any borrowing, contributing regularly to a savings account, making investments, and sticking to a budget will mean that you probably won’t have to work quite as hard. If you’re in control of your money, it’s much easier to work to live rather than the other way around.
- Start an exercise regime
Regularly raising your heart rate and breaking into a sweat with a good workout will release lots of mood boosting endorphins into your bloodstream – and that means that you’ll be better able to cope with pressures and challenges while you’re in the workplace; and that you’ll be more capable of switching off when you get home. For tips on sleeping well while you get fit, read this article.
- Negotiate
If your current work schedule doesn’t allow for any let-up, and you’re constantly feeling stressed and overworked – talk to your boss. You have the right to request changes to your workload and even to be allowed flexible hours. Before you approach your boss, think about what changes would help you to have a better work-life balance.
Would you benefit from a flexi-time arrangement, where you could start early in the morning and enjoy an early afternoon finish? Perhaps part-time hours would allow you to be more productive and efficient? Make it an informal chat with your boss to start with – that way you can gauge his reaction and adjust your proposal before you submit it. Taking this approach means that you are more likely to be successful in negotiating new ways of working.
- Delegate
You’ve achieved success in your career because you are ambitious, hard-working, and determined. While those are all admirable qualities to have, you don’t have to be a martyr to get on at work. If you take on everything you’re asked to do, and more besides, you won’t be respected by your colleagues any more than the next person. In fact, you’ll be considered an easy target for dumping work that other people can’t be bothered with.
If you are struggling, or finding it is almost impossible to get everything done – don’t be afraid to delegate. Asking for help is a strong thing to do – the person who burns out because they won’t ask for any assistance is the weaker one.
Finding a good work-life balance isn’t an easy thing to do, especially if you are ambitious and keen to progress in your chosen field. However, you only get one life – and no one lies on their deathbed wishing they’d spent more time working! The most important factor in getting the balance between your working life and your personal life right is your ability to communicate. You need to be able to explain to your work colleagues, management, family and friends how you feel – and tell them what you need from them to be able to make everything work. Once you’ve nailed that, you’ll soar!
