Creating a Healthy Work/Life Balance
“I’ll answer one last email.”
“I can eat lunch at my desk to finish up this paperwork.”
“I’ll just work for an extra hour this evening, then I’ll log off.”
How often have you caught yourself saying the above-named phrases? It is all too common for American workers to go “above and beyond” in the workplace, often to the detriment of personal needs or self care habits. Achieving an appropriate work/life balance is difficult in the best of times but has become even more challenging now that work from home options are becoming widely available. If you are struggling with work/life balance, keep the below tips in mind:
Use a separate phone for work if you can and leave your phone at the office when you leave for the day. If you must use your personal phone for work, turn off notifications for work emails or work calls at the end of your working day.
Set expectations with your employer about your working time and make it clear that you will not work after hours. If you have a job that requires you to be on call at certain times, work with your employer to ensure that the on call rotation with your fellow co-workers is operating fairly.
Organize your time well during your working hours to ensure that you complete all necessary tasks during the work day. Make use of calendars and/or scheduling applications as appropriate.
Schedule things at the end of your shift to ensure that you are motivated to leave on time. Some suggestions for scheduled activities could include workout classes, book clubs, and/or drinks out with friends.
If you work from home, try to create a separate office space in a specific room of your home and only be in that room during working hours. If this is impossible, make sure you completely shut down your work station at the end of the day at the same time each day.
Have someone help hold you accountable, if you have consistent difficulty logging off at the end of each day. Let this person know your goals associated with achieving an appropriate work/life balance and have them check in on you every so often to help you stay on the right track.
Don’t be afraid to say “no.” Professional boundaries are important and asserting yourself in a professional setting can sometimes be necessary in order to maintain healthy work/life balance.
Maintaining an appropriate work/life balance is very important for overall mental health and wellness. If you continually struggle with maintaining a good work/life balance, it may be helpful to work with a mental health professional in order to build professional boundaries, develop good organizational skills, and create healthy daily routines.
