Juggling Responsibilities: A Guide to Achieving Work-Life Balance
Do you feel like you never have enough time to get everything done? Do you feel like your work responsibilities often conflict with your personal responsibilities? Or do your personal problems affect the quality of your work? If any of these problems sound all too familiar, your work-life balance could be tipping one way or the other.
The best way to deal with this type of imbalance is to better understand what a healthy work-life balance is, how it can add value to your life, and what steps you can take to maintain your own work-life balance to improve private life. This article helps answer these questions.
What does work-life balance mean?
In an ideal world, a work-life balance would result in you giving equal importance to both your professional and personal commitments. Since we don't live in an ideal world, it can be challenging to strike a perfect balance between your professional and personal responsibilities. However, that doesn't mean you can't strive for a healthy balance between your professional and personal commitments. Rather, it means you need to set realistic goals at home and in the office.
You should expect disturbances in this balance and be prepared for the fact that the balance between work and life tasks will often shift. Work commitments often conflict with personal commitments, and personal problems can affect work performance. However, it is important to recognize which factors can negatively impact your work-life balance.
What factors can disrupt your work-life balance?
There are numerous factors that can disrupt the balance between your professional and personal responsibilities, such as;
- Excessively long working hours
- Limited flexibility in your work schedule
- Fear of losing your job
- Last minute family obligations, e.g. a sick child
- Long commute times
- Increased personal responsibility, e.g. aging parents
- Answering calls after hours
- Ongoing health problems
- Childcare problems
- Lack of distinction between work and life tasks
It is important to note that some work life disruptions may be beyond your control. For example, you cannot determine your own working hours or take time off at short notice. However, you may have more control over other factors such as commute times and child care. For example, you could move closer to your workplace to avoid long commutes, or find a replacement babysitter to look after the children if you're having childcare issues.
Finding the right balance between work and personal commitments can take time, but the numerous benefits are worth the extra effort.
How can a healthy work-life balance add value to your life?
A healthy work-life balance can bring numerous professional and personal benefits, such as:
Less stress
If you feel overwhelmed at work and at home, it's important to find a balance between work and personal commitments. The good news is that setting clear boundaries between your work and personal responsibilities can help reduce this stress and bring more joy into your life.
Better mental and physical health
Long-term stress can affect your mental and physical well-being and lead to health problems such as depression, anxiety, heart disease and high blood pressure. Bringing balance to your life will give you time to focus on yourself and reduce your risk of these diseases.
Higher levels of engagement
If you focus too much on personal or professional matters, you probably won't have enough time to build relationships with the people you care about, such as your friends or family to your family members, friends and colleagues. Remember: it's about quality, not quantity. For example, maybe you only have an hour or two to spend with your children when you get home from work. You can take advantage of this time by putting your phone away and spending time with them undisturbed.
Increased production
You may think that spending an extra hour at work or taking work home will help you increase your production. In reality, you may be doing more harm than good. Studies show that breaks can improve concentration and reduce anxiety, which in turn improves productivity and the quality of work.
Lower risk of workplace burnout
Workplace burnout is real. A recent study shows that 77% of workers admit to some degree of burnout at their job. These same workers are aware that this burnout is affecting their personal relationships and the quality of their work. Developing a healthy balance between work tasks and personal responsibilities can help reduce the risk of burnout in the workplace.
But what is the right balance between work and private life? Read on to find out.
What does the ideal work-life balance look like?
By now you're probably wondering what the ideal work-life balance looks like. If you think working more hours equals higher levels of productivity, you might want to reconsider. Although every person is different, studies show that the ideal work week is 38 hours. Research shows that productivity drops significantly after 50 hours per week. If that doesn't convince you yet, the World Health Organization report shows that the risk of heart disease, including strokes and heart attacks, increases for those who work more than 55 hours per week.
Despite the research behind these numbers, it's important to determine exactly what your ideal work-life balance looks like. Consider factors such as the number of hours you have to work per week, your financial obligations, and your personal life responsibilities when figuring out what a healthy work-life balance looks like for you.
If you're ready to take advantage of these benefits, now is the time to act.
How to create a healthy work-life balance
If you're ready to create a healthy work-life balance, here are some tips to get you started.
1. Set realistic goals
Before you can begin creating a healthy work-life balance, you first need to know what the ideal balance means for you. Look at your current work schedule and schedule and identify areas where these two factors overlap or interfere with each other. Identifying these problem areas can help you create an overall plan to meet all of your obligations without experiencing this type of disruption.
2. Prioritize your personal well-being
Your top priority should always be taking care of your mental and physical health. Because if you are not healthy, you will not be able to meet your obligations to work or your family. If you haven't been to the doctor in a while, you should schedule a wellness appointment. Then join a gym or take a fitness class to ensure you get enough exercise. Additionally, focus on improving your eating habits and try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Finally, take frequent breaks during the week and take vacations if possible.
3. Improve communication
To improve your work-life balance, you also need to improve communication with your employers, colleagues, friends and family members. Learn to say "no" when necessary and only make commitments when you are sure you can keep them. This will help you avoid frustration caused by misunderstandings and broken promises. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it or reschedule appointments if you feel overwhelmed.
4. Use available resources
Use software or tools that can help you manage tasks and projects efficiently. This technology and its features, such as real-time dashboards and automation tools, allow you to view your workload in one convenient application and set automated tasks. These features can help you set a realistic schedule and know what commitments you can stick to.
5. Set boundaries
One of the most important steps toward achieving a healthy work-life balance is setting clear boundaries between your job duties and your personal responsibilities.
Allowing the lines between these two aspects of your life to blur can result in a state of chaos. For example, limit the number of personal calls you take while at work. On the other hand, try to avoid business calls at home after work.
Tips by IceHrm, a promising digital HR platform.