Work to Live, Do not Live to Work

 

Work to live, do not live to work 

Work-life balance refers to the level of prioritization between personal and professional activities in an individual’s life and the level to which activities related to their job are present in the home. At the same time, Work-life balance can be defined as the state of stability where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one’s career and the demands of one’s personal life. Further is known as how a company's employees prioritize their personal and professional activities.

Keeping your personal and work lives in balance might be difficult, but it's vital. Work frequently takes priority over everything else in our lives. We may be tempted to put our own well-being last to achieve professional success. Those who have a better work-life balance are happier, healthier, and more committed to their organizations. They also have better job satisfaction, better goal achievement, and happier families.

Some of the common reasons that lead to a poor work-life balance include:

• Too many responsibilities at work or at home
• Long working hours
• Changes in personal life, such as having children or having to take care of elderly parents,
• increased expenses with the same salary

Consider the best schedule that works for you to balance your career and personal life. Work-life balance is not always about dividing your day evenly between work and leisure activities. There may be days when you work long hours so that you can fit in more leisure time throughout the rest of the days in the week.

Here are 8 key methods for improving work-life balance.                                        

            1. Accept that there is no "perfect" work-life balance.

 When you hear the phrase "work-life balance," you probably picture yourself working incredibly hard and leaving early to spend the second half of the day with loved ones.

Despite how wonderful it may seem; it is not always possible.

Instead of aiming for the ideal schedule, make a realistic one. On some days, you might put more of your attention into work, while on other days, you might have more time and energy to engage in hobbies or spend time with loved ones. Not every day, but over time, balance is attained. Having fluctuations in schedules is common, however, it is important to strike a balance between professional life and personal life while understanding that there is no “perfection’ in any schedule as what works for you may be different from what works for someone else.  

2. Find a job that you love.

  Although working is a societal expectation, your employment shouldn't limit you. You cannot be happy if you hate what you do. Your job doesn't need to impress others, but it should be interesting enough to make you jump out of bed in the morning.

3. Prioritize your mental and physical wellbeing

 Your primary priority should be your general physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Make time for therapy appointments, even if it means skipping your evening spin class or leaving work early if you suffer from anxiety or depression. Don't be scared to call in sick when you're having a bad day if you're dealing with a chronic illness. You cannot improve if you overwork yourself; as a result, you may need to take additional days off in the future.

First and foremost, prioritize your overall health by building healthy daily habits, such as:

• Spending at least 30 minutes getting fresh air and/or exercising to promote your physical well-being.
• Promote personal relationships to maintain your emotional well-being (let’s be honest: no matter how busy you are, you can always spare a few minutes to call a friend/family).
• Adopting daily personal practices, such as meditation, mindfulness, gratitude, or journaling, to support your mental well-being

4. Don’t be afraid to unplug.

 We can relieve our weekly tension by occasionally cutting ties with the outer world, which also creates room for new thoughts and ideas. Unplugging can be as simple as using your daily commute to practice meditation rather than reading work emails.

5. Take a vacation.

Sometimes, truly unplugging means taking a vacation when needed and turning work completely off for a while. Whether your vacation consists of a one-day staycation or a two-week trip to Bali, it’s important to take time off to physically and mentally recharge.

 

6. Make time for yourself and your loved ones.

 While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life. You were an individual before taking this position, and you should prioritize the activities or hobbies that make you happy.

7. Establish boundaries and distinguish work hours.

To prevent burnout, establish boundaries for both you and your coworkers. Avoid thinking about forthcoming projects or responding to work emails as you leave the workplace. Think about getting a second phone or computer for work so you can turn it off after the shift is over. Use different browsers, emails, or filters for your business and personal platforms if that isn't possible.

8. Set realistic and achievable goals

Pay attention to when you are most productive at work and block that time off for your most important work-related activities. Avoid checking your emails and phone every few minutes, as those are major time-wasting tasks that destroy your attention and productivity. Structuring your day can increase productivity at work, which can result in more free time to relax outside of work. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and set goals accordingly. Do not stress over unrealistic goals. Make sure the predetermined goals are achievable and realistic according to your competencies. 

Conclusion

We all have various life obligations; hence work-life balance will mean different things to different people. Balance is a very personal matter in our lives, and only you can pick the lifestyle/balancing strategy that suits you the best. Benefits of having a healthy work-life balance include improved time management, personal development, improved concentration, increased participation, mental & physical well-being, feeling more appreciated, stress reduction, etc. However, it is challenging to strike a balance between professional life and personal life in this era as technological interference is in high demand to complete work activities with its ability to disrupt home life.  

As an organization, the advantages of its employees having a work-life balance are numerous, and it significantly deepens the employer-employee relationships. A healthy work-life balance is an investment to any organization and its key benefits are as follows.

• Better staff retention
• Increased productivity
• Higher employee engagement
• More profitability
• Strong brand reputation & more applicants
• Increased morale
• Reduced absenteeism.

References –

ApS, N. (no date) 6 Guaranteed Ways to Improve Work-Life Balance in 2023, Novorésumé. Available at: https://novoresume.com/career-blog/work-life-balance 

J.D., ACC, H. M. (2021) 10 Reasons Why Work-Life Balance Is Important (In 2022), Leadership & Business Coaching For Lawyers | Heather Moulder. Available at: https://www.coursecorrectioncoaching.com/reasons-why-work-life-balance-is-important/

How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance - businessnewsdaily.com (no date) Business News Daily. Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5244-improve-work-life-balance-today.html

What is Work-life Balance? (2013) HRZone. Available at: https://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-is-work-life-balance

Advantages of improved work-life balance | nibusinessinfo.co.uk (no date) Advantages of improved work-life balance | nibusinessinfo.co.uk. Available at: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/advantages-improved-work-life-balance

Definition of Work-Life Balance - Gartner Human Resources Glossary (no date) Gartner. Available at: https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/glossary/work-life-balance

J.D., ACC, H. M. (2021) 10 Reasons Why Work-Life Balance Is Important (In 2022), Leadership & Business Coaching For Lawyers | Heather Moulder. Available at: https://www.coursecorrectioncoaching.com/reasons-why-work-life-balance-is-important/