Introduction
In today's fast-paced world, achieving the goal of a peaceful balance between professional work and personal life is way more challenging. Due to many job responsibilities & personal well-being and a healthy lifestyle, the challenge of achieving a work-life balance system becomes harder and harder. But it's not impossible to achieve such things if you think more smartly and differently and make smarter decisions to achieve a peaceful system that aims to reach more equilibrium between both.
Work-life balance is a concept defined as the equilibrium between time & energy spent among work responsibilities and the actions outside work demands, related to our personal life like friends, family, relationships, and our hobbies and rituals. In our first article about work-life balance, we deeply delve into the work-life balance definition, what it means, what doesn't it mean, what are the benefits of work-life balance, and how personal growth can be achieved when you reach that level of balancing.
We even discussed how you could know if you have successfully balancing between your professional work and your healthy lifestyle. I strongly advise you to read the previous article to have a strong concert and vivid understanding of the concept, and then you can read with me a guide to learn insightful strategies for how to achieve work-life balance and benefit from it.
Now you know more about the concept of work-life balance, its importance and benefits for your well-being, and the signs that tell you clearly if you achieve a high level of balance between them or not. now you are ready to know some powerful steps and strategies to take that will help you achieve the equilibrium level between professional work and your personal life.
Important to know
The work-life balance is not an absolute rule, it's a concept that you can set to have higher value and be more productive in your healthy life. That balance is not distributed equally to be exactly 50/50 between your professional work and your personal life, it can be shifted at times. The main goal is to feel more grounded and balanced in your daily life by setting personalized plans and exploring more effective ways to achieve a space for productivity and creativity in both, work and daily life. The last thing to know is that the things that make your work-life balance and make you feel more manageable may differ from one to another according to the needs and situations that need to be balanced.
Powerful professional tip to have more work-life balance
You can request for healthier work-life balance.
What? For real? yes, you can always ask for it professionally through a professional supervisor if you are struggling to find the balance between your work and the rest of your life. With a professional meeting or conversation with your head or supervisor, you can reach for some effective solutions like hybrid, flexible work systems, or even remote work. You can always access mental health services offered by some employers ( if any) which is important to your work-life balance. Always aim to a professional contact with your employer and work together to make things more manageable. You can also re-prioritize your tasks, delegate some work to others if needed, hire additional help, etc...
Recommended for reading: Feeling pretty stressed? 10 Effective steps to do now to cope with that feeling
How to improve your work-life balance?
1. Make a plan
To make a successful plan, you should know the source of the problem of imbalance, and then you need to set a serious plan to solve this problem to the end. Achieving more balance in your personal life starts with solving what causing the problem in the first place. So what exactly is the problem with your work? Does your work take too long? Are work demands coming over your free time, so your energy is quickly exhausted? Do you feel that you have no control over your timing schedule? Creating a personalized plan that aims to solve the source problem will make the half of the balance journey easier.
2. Creating an absolute divisions between your work and non-work Life.
Treat yourself as 2 people in one body, but each one of you has a specific time to operate. You can promote your work-life balance by drawing a vivid line between your personal and professional life. Sometimes your work hours are longer than your time which makes your personal life wasted without management, may vice versa and your work becomes a disaster. Your job person should have it's time to operate and focus only on work during work hours, and then turn off to let the other (you) operate and have enjoyable moments with your friends, and family, spend some time doing your hobbies, etc..
Maybe overtime and overachieving are your main problems. So you need to create a schedule, get ready for work, let other people know that you are offline, and plan activities during your non-work hours. This will make your life easier more manageable and peaceful.
3. Take breaks
Taking breaks is crucial for you, your body, and your mind. During work hours, you should give about 100% of focus to be a smart and hard worker. But to be always productive and creative, you should enjoy breaks. Break in work has 2 types, short-term breaks distributed over time of a long hard project, and to keep your focus mentality and high productivity, Long-term breaks like periodic days off, or periodic vacations. You can take these breaks and do happily whatever you want in case you do your work as a professional.
4. Golden Tip: Don't work when you are not at work.
Remember the 2nd tip you read? "Creating an absolute divisions between your work and non-work Life.". Here is the Golder Tip behind it. During vacations or periodic days off, you should even think about work. Your brain needs more respect and enough time to recover. Don't hit your brain and make him more stressed by work problems and future tasks while you are taking enjoyable moments with yourself. The time is the same, days off will remain days off, just enjoy it to keep your productivity level at a high peek. It's a simple and concise piece of advice, "Don't work when you are not at work".
5. Set boundaries
The strong tip here is to say no. learn to say no and set clear boundaries between work and your time. learn to say NO to communities or tasks that aim to break your time and always consume your energy. After all, you should prioritize self-care over all things. without your self-care and well-being, you will not live a successful life.
6. Unplugging from Technology
No one can deny that all work worldwide nowadays relies on technologies and the Internet, but as a human being, we can't keep like this all the time. You need to make a special time to make a technology detox from time to time. This action will prevent work from intruding into your personal life and will cultivate present-moment awareness.
Conclusion:
Achieving work-life balance is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor but rather a personal journey of self-discovery and self-care. By prioritizing our well-being, setting boundaries, and cultivating healthy habits, we can create a life that is rich in meaning, purpose, and joy. So let's commit to mastering the art of work-life balance and living harmoniously, one mindful step at a time. Remember, finding balance is not about perfection but rather about making conscious choices that align with our values and priorities. So take a deep breath, prioritize your well-being, and embark on the journey towards a more balanced and fulfilling life today.
These were some tips to help you in self-management and have a work-life balance to achieve a healthier lifestyle. catch you in the next blogs.