‍

Work-life balance refers to the juggle between the demands of work and your home and family life. If you struggle with work-life balance, you might find that you are often rushing to manage different commitments, often left feeling like you are doing no areas well.

‍

If you work long hours, it can be more difficult to achieve a healthy balance between work and your personal life. Working long hours may impact your health, make your work unsafe, increase your stress levels and cut into time for leisure activities.

‍

A good work-life balance means you have harmony (most of the time) between the different aspects of your life. Outside of work you will have time to spend on other things, such as caring for yourself and your family, and leisure activities. If you can spend time on personal care, socialising, hobbies and relaxation, this can support your overall wellbeing and flow into positive work emotions. It’s important to prioritise wellbeing, which is often seen as being of less importance than paid work or chores.

‍

Here are some tips for a healthy work-life balance:

‍

1. Know your values
Try to spend some time thinking about what is important to you in life. Consider your passions and interests, and make time for the things that make you feel alive. How much time do you really spend on your priorities?

‍

2. Practise Time Management
Do you ever wonder where the day went? Calendars, apps and to-do lists are all useful methods for keeping track of how you spend your time. You could review a typical week and see if you can use your time better. You might be able to save time by shopping online more or working from home a couple of days a week to reduce your commute. You could see if some meetings or tasks can be done by phone/video or email instead of in person. You might realise that social media is swallowing chunks of your day.

‍

3. Set Boundaries
If you find it hard to say no, you could try to set limits on your work time and pre-plan time for other activities. Let people know when you will be off-line. Step away from your phone, turn off your work emails or go internet-free for a few hours. Do you have someone who can share the load? Can you take the pressure off yourself and accept that good enough is okay?

‍

4. Enjoy Your Work
‘Do what you love and love what you do’ and you won’t work a day in your life. Most jobs can be tedious or stressful at times, but if you really hate your job or it’s making life impossible it might be time for a change. Ask your employer about flexible work arrangements. See if you can move to a different team or retrain. You could set up a side-hustle for a few hours a week to try out a new way of making a living.

‍

5. Nurture Relationships
Positive relationships and social support help build resilience and lead to more adaptive ways to cope with stress. Strong relationships take time to nurture and develop. Prioritise quality time with your family, friends, neighbours and loved ones.

‍

6. Focus on your Health
Regular exercise is known to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Make sure you get enough sleep at regular times. Try to eat healthy food, drink alcohol in moderation.

‍

7. Have down time
Taking time to rest and recharge is vital to help you succeed in what is important to you. Schedule regular time off for yourself each week to relax, read a book, play sport, spend time in nature or just do nothing. Choose any activity you enjoy.

‍

Remember life is short and time is precious. Don’t under prioritise what you love doing and makes you happy!

‍