Our desire to excel professionally can sometimes push us to set aside our own well-being.
Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, not only to maintain a proper physical, emotional and mental balance but also to have a life outside work too whilst ensuring that we build an amazing career. It is not an easy task to achieve work-life balance in today’s unpredictable and fast-paced business world.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is not only important for health and relationships, but it can also improve your employee’s productivity, and ultimately performance.
Businesses that encourage work-life balance have become very attractive — especially when you consider how difficult it can be to attract and retain young employees these days.
When you create a schedule for yourself, think about the best ways to achieve balance.
There are many ways to do this –
- Set your daily goals
- Prioritize your tasks properly
- Take short gaps, but also ensure that those gaps do not fill you with lethargy for the rest of the day
- Estimate the time that would be required to complete those set tasks for the day
- Always keep sometime in hand for sudden or urgent tasks that come your way out of nowhere, maybe.
In short, having that state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one’s career and personal life is what we call an ideal work-life balance.
Why maintaining work-life balance is important?
Some people put their everything to get all their work done while sacrificing their personal lives. We really want them to read this blog to understand why that’s not the best thing to do-
– More Mindfulness
“Wouldn’t everyone prefer a team that is fully focused on whatever they are doing, instead of juggling between many things in their minds? ”
If you find and sustain a healthy work-life balance, you will be able to develop a greater control over your focus and ability to concentrate on the task at hand- this is known as mindfulness.
By encouraging yourself to manage between work and personal life, you will improve your efficiency, which in turn leads to the company’s growth.
– Lesser Burnouts
It is absolutely fine if you get stressed sometimes. However, to avoid workplace burnouts, you should try to ensure the same doesn’t happen to your team.
The inability to separate work from home will massively increase the chance of burnout, so it is important to encourage your team to take time off and “leave work at work.”
Make sure you never mix your professional life with your personal life- Trust me, it will only lead to undue stress and issues that are endless.
– Fewer Health Problems
Isn’t it natural that you will eventually lose on your health when you do not maintain a proper work-life balance?
Well, when we are stressed and over-worked, we run the risk of jeopardizing more than just our social lives- our physical and mental health is in danger too.
A poor work-life balance can lead to a variety of symptoms that can affect your wellbeing.
We are sure that these reasons are an eye-opener for those who miserably fail to maintain their work-life balance.
6 quick tips to maintain a healthy work-life balance
Now that we know why it is important to have a healthy work-life balance, let’s explore how you can ensure you maintain one-
1. Encourage time off
Sometimes a break from everything is what one needs. After all, we are not robots or machines that who can tirelessly work 24*7, right?
Most often our minds are indulged in many things at once, and that’s exactly when you need some time off. A break from it all will provide you with the chance to switch off and enjoy yourself, it is also a great opportunity to recuperate and recharge.
2. Short breaks throughout the day
If taking time off for a long duration is not an option, then it is very important to take small breaks throughout the day.
To combat all the inconvenience that our body goes throughout the day from staring at bright screen for hours, we should come up with the ideas where you can socialize and take your minds off work.
Corporate lunches, walking meetings outside the office, light exercises, rule of 20, coffee meetings, meditation, etc. are some of the healthy habits that companies can introduce in their work culture.
3. Ask for guidance
“Helping others will always help you in turn.”
Don’t strive for everything that is perfect i.e. perfect schedule, perfect employees, perfect projects, or perfect environment, rather strive for realistic one.
Sometimes it is okay to take help, to show your flaws, to take guidance or to say that you need training on something before you give your best shot.
If you notice yourself and others struggling to find balance, then find out what changes you / they think would improve their situation. By collaborating, you will be able to get more of an insight into the way they think, and will be able to work together on strategies more effectively in the future.
4. Prioritize your health
There is absolutely nothing above and beyond your health.
If your health is not in the best shape, nothing else will work in your favor. And by health, it’s not just your physical health that we are talking about, but also emotional and mental health should be your real concerns.
If you struggle with anxiety and depression and think therapy would benefit you, fit those sessions into your schedule, even if you have to change or adjust your schedule.
“Prioritising your health first and foremost will make you a better employee and person.”
5. Make time for yourself and your loved ones
There’s a saying, "Make work a part of your life, but never make work your whole life”.
Well, how many of you can introspect deep and relate to this? We are sure, many of you would.
While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life, you should prioritize the activities or hobbies that make you happy, outside work.
If you do not firmly plan for personal time, you will never have time to do other things outside of work. No matter how hectic your schedule might be, you ultimately have control of your time and life.
6. Set boundaries and work hours
Set boundaries for yourself to avoid burnouts.
When you leave the office, avoid thinking about anything else, avoid thinking about upcoming projects or answering company emails.
Always keep in mind — “Whether you work away from home or at home, it is very important to determine when you will work and when you will stop working otherwise, you might find yourself answering work-related emails late at night, during vacations or on weekends off.”
Sum up-
Those who do maintain a successful balance often point to their flexible work schedules. Flexibility can pay off for employers in the long run. As we look ahead, it is clear that in order to remain competitive, employers must find ways to offer flexible work options if they want to attract and retain top talent.
Maintaining work-life balance is not just about the employees, it is also about the employer. Companies need to ensure that all the employees are getting the break they need, are in the best of their health, and are not pushed too hard in any way that leads to destroying their personal lives.
Your employees follow your lead, so it is very important for you to set a good example — stay at the forefront to implement modern work-life balance trends.