How to Build a Perfect Work-Life Balance

Too often, work tends to take precedence over your personal life. You are not alone.

Our desire to build a strong professional career leads some to put aside their health. Instead, today’s workers spend long hours at work, often bring their work home or work through weekends.

Many reasons lead to a poor balance of your work and life. These include:

• Longer working hours
• Children
• Increased responsibilities at home
• Increased responsibilities at work

However, ensuring a harmonious balance between work responsibilities and personal life is important for your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Once you are in a positive mindset, it can actually propel your career to new heights.

Balancing both these lives is hardly easy but it is crucial today. As we continue working from home, the lines continue to blur further.

A good balance of the two will help you in various ways. It will lead to reduced stress, lower chances of burnout, and increased wellbeing.

But exactly how can you achieve this?

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Set schedules and boundaries

Sticking to a proper schedule can help streamline your office work and help you maintain productivity. Set working hours, set your break timings, and go offline at the end of your scheduled hours.

You can then focus on the rest of your life. With a scheduled in and out time, you are better positioned to set boundaries with your family and colleagues.

Establish a sleeping routine

If you are to meet your work schedule, it’s important you also set a sleeping schedule.

Sleeping too late may cause you to start work late, disrupting your routine. Sleeping less than eight hours can lead to lowered performance, forcing you to work late in order to meet standards.

Dimming lights, keeping your smartphone away, and avoiding caffeine are a few ways to enjoy a good night’s sleep. A comfortable bed and mattress from a store like Divan Beds Centre can’t hurt either.

There is a strong correlation between enough sleep and better mental health. A lack of sleep often leads to depression, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety.

If you wish to reduce burnout and balance your life, proper sleeping schedules are key.

Don’t work from your bedroom

Working from your bed sounds comfy but it can be disruptive to your sleeping schedule. Your mind starts to associate the bedroom with staying awake and being productive rather than downtime.

The blue light from screens negatively affects the human circadian rhythms, disrupting sleep.

This can make it difficult to switch off and relax when you are done with work. Your productivity will take a hit.

You will begin to feel irritated, disconnected and may find it difficult to concentrate during working hours. In short, your bedroom should solely be for relaxation, and nothing work-related.

Don’t forget your office coffee breaks if you are working from home

Exchanging gossip by the watercooler and trading banter by the coffee machine are essential components of a workplace. Such moments allow us to take a break from work and indulge in much-needed social interactions.

Schedule roughly 10 minutes every day to video chat with colleagues about anything non-work-related. These simple interactions can help you unwind and take a break from work while maintaining relationships.

Keep away time for yourself

Making time for yourself every day will help you find the focus you need to organize and prioritize your mental wellbeing. Whether it’s exercise, reading a book, or yoga, keep this time for activities that make you happy and content.

Make plans for your after-work hours and ensure you stick to them, regardless of how busy you are.

Developing and then maintaining new habits will take effort. Rather than relapsing, understand that your old habits are destructive and may have been holding you back professionally.

Begin by picking two habits and working on adapting those to your schedule. Once you have successfully integrated it, take the next step.

Also Check: The Trick to a Perfect Work-Life Balance