Five Points For A Good Work Life Balance

Are you good at starting and finishing wok on time? Or do you work through your lunch, work late or work in the evenings after your dinner? Doing this can make it difficult to get enough rest and time away from work.

We can often get pulled in different directions and feel we must keep working to complete something, but why? Your free time is for you and below are five ways to help ensure you have a good work/life balance.

1. Stick to your working hours – if you work 9am – 5pm then do your best to stick to it. Unless you get paid overtime, you are working for free. You need to take time off work to refresh and recharge. Our personal time is precious. Many of us work 5 days a week giving us the weekends and evenings to enjoy.
   • Think of it in terms of hours, if you work till 6pm each night – using the example above – this makes it approximately 230 hours extra a year (taking into account holidays). Multiply that by your hourly salary to show how much money you would earn if it was paid. That may shock you.
   • We do extra work when needed, at busy times of the year and/or if a project needs finishing, or we can’t get to it during the day. This may show great work ethic but the more often you do it, the more it is expected you can do everything that comes your way. Depending on how often you are doing extra work, are you overloaded? For example, if you are doing extra each day, using your evenings, then perhaps it’s time to be realistic about how much you can actually achieve in a day, and what needs to be pushed back.
   • Many of us are happy to do more to help ourselves get a head start/ensure we don’t fall behind. We would rather put ourselves out than say there is too much. You might love your job and therefore don’t see it as a chore or extra work. But give yourself a break. You want to be sure you don’t reach burnout or use all your spare time on work.
   • Working through your lunch is a no no, so use your time for you.
     
2. Plan your day/month/quarter – How much of your work can be planned? It may not be possible for the type of work you do, however, if you can, plan ahead for those busy times. Make sure you schedule time in your calendar to focus on the tasks during your work day, so it lessens the amount of time you will need to do things in your free time. If you are working in a reactive role, it will be more of a challenge to do this. But could you plan some time in with a colleague to cover the reactive work? Splitting it for the week to give you both time to work on projects/important tasks. Planning can be great to ensure you have enough time to complete the tasks, but don’t become too rigid you end up scheduling each moment of your day, this will only be to your detriment and cause issues. Be flexible in your planning.
   
3. Use your evenings or non work time for you – Our time on this planet is so short, and you will never be on your deathbed wishing you had worked more, no matter how much you love your job. Your evenings and days off are for you, plan activities, particularly if you have a tendency to do work. Use your time for the things you love to do. Unless you get paid overtime, you are using your time, for your work to benefit. I know it isn’t as clear cut as working at home on a task will give you a head start or give you some much needed peace and quiet free from interruptions, allowing you to do far more. Always create time for you and your hobbies/activities.
   
4. Give yourself a time limit – If you need to or want to do some work outwith your usual working hours, set a timer or alarm. Give yourself a hard stop. You want to ensure you still have time to do something you enjoy such as watching tv, going to the gym, catching up with friends or spending time with your children. It is so easy to get consumed with work and before you know it 2 hours have passed. But you still need to have dinner, want to read your book and then get ready for bed. This means your bed time gets been pushed out and the amount of sleep you get reduces. So be kind to yourself, set a time limit and stick to it.
   
5. Ensure you have time for exercise – Regardless of what work you are doing, take time out and go outdoors or go to the gym, do your usual exercise. Don’t let work prevent you from getting exercise. It is important for your mind and body. Think about how often stepping away from your desk and going for walk can help clear your head and give you clarity over a problem or idea you are working on. Exercise can help shift your mindset and gives you a break, so don’t miss out.

It is very easy for us to get set in our ways and work extra hours or days to complete a task or to give ourselves the space to get peace and quiet, enabling us to get a head start to focus on a detailed task. Habits can form and before you know it each evening is spent working. Being mindful of how often you are working extra and when, can help you put strategies in place to limit the impact on your own time.

Your life is precious, so use your spare time for doing the things you love. Your brain and body need time to decompress, so take time away and do your own activities.

Thank you for reading, have a great week.

Look after you! Love Emma xx