Ensuring that we have a healthy work/life balance is one of the most essential steps in improving our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. When you spend too much of your time worried about work, and fail to take regular breaks, you can find yourself starting to feel burnt out.
Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization as “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” And research shows that in recent years it is disproportionately affecting young millennials and Gen Z.
By ensuring that you have a healthy work/life balance – and making sure that you take the time to care for your own physical and emotional needs – you can start to lessen the effects of burnout and ensure that you make time for things in your life that are not only equally as important than your career but often more important.
If you’re not sure where to start, then here are just three tips to help you achieve the perfect work/life balance.
1. Master Your Time Management
Having good time management skills will allow you to plan your day more effectively, ensuring that you make time for self-care.
Of course, time management doesn’t come easy to all of us, but poor time management can lead to you not only wasting valuable hours, but it will allow you to fall victim to procrastination much easier.
Luckily, for those who struggle to plan out their days efficiently, apps such as Remember the Milk will allow you to take better control of your tasks, both in your career and your personal life.
2. Cut Out the Commute
One of the biggest time wasters in our lives can be sitting in traffic for the commute. During the pandemic, many of us found that we had extra time in the day that we would have spent commuting to and from work.
If you have the opportunity to work remotely, either on a permanent or hybrid basis, make use of that extra time to work on your self-care.
And it’s not just work that can be completed from home either. With distance learning providers, such as Anglia Ruskin University, you can study from the comfort of your own home on a schedule that suits your needs.
When you take your career or education remote, you can introduce more flexibility to your daily life.
3. Adjust Your Priorities
Ensuring that you have a healthy work/life balance can often start with your perspective.
It’s essential that you adjust your priorities so that you can understand that your career isn’t everything.
When you start giving your personal life the attention that it deserves, you’ll find it easier to leave your work at work.
Sticking to your work hours and not letting it bleed into your personal and family time is a great way to improve your emotional well-being – boundaries are essential!
How have you improved your work/life balance? Share your tips in the comments below!
