Achieving a good work-life balance is essential to your success and wellbeing. In the article below, we shall explore 10 top tips on how to strike this balance and what you can do to achieve mental wellbeing.
Why is work-life balance important?
Although work plays a significant part in our lives, it should not consume most of our waking hours.
Nurturing family relationships, taking up new hobbies and creating memorable experiences are part of a happy life.
Engaging in hobbies helps us become more creative in how we solve complex problems.
Leading a one-sided life (with too much focus on work) can result in resentment, bitterness and mental fatigue.
Some of the most common signs of unhealthy work-life balance include working long hours consistently, struggling to switch off and detach from work, feeling lethargic, experiencing burnout out etc.
Tip 1: Start with reflection
Charles Handy, the well-known management writer, reminded us: “You have to stand outside the box to see how the box can be re-designed.”
You might find it helpful to move outside your metaphorical box for a few minutes to help you look at your situation from a new perspective.
Do you consider how you are looking after your physical and emotional health?
Do you tend to sit long hours looking at the monitor, trying to cram in as much as possible into the day?
Do you tend to skip meals so that you can get even more done?
Do you tend to bottle up your emotions and rarely talk about what is going on with you?
Tip 2: Sport burn out early
You can burn yourself out by staying in permanently unhelpful environments.
It is essential that you notice signs of stress, exhaustion and decreasing physical or mental health.
If you are going through a particularly stressful time, you need to allow yourself time for more rest and to recharge your batteries.
At times, changing direction could be the best remedy for a good work-life balance.
Tip 3: Think batches
Task batching is a fantastic way to accomplish more in less time. It is the opposite of multi-tasking.
You group together similar tasks to complete within a given period of time.
You eliminate distractions by focusing on the tasks and increase the quality of your work as a result.
You can batch tasks at home and at work. You may batch all the phone calls you need to make, all the filing to get done, the e-mails to answer, or the bills to be paid.
Tip 4: Set boundaries for e-mails
E-mails can interrupt the flow of your work, and they can sidetrack your attention.
Every e-mail can trigger a response and often results in even more e-mails coming in.
Instead of being glued to e-mails throughout your working day, try setting aside three checking times throughout the day when you tackle e-mails e.g. first thing in the morning, at noon and late afternoon.
Although you may need to dip into e-mails occasionally throughout your day, having dedicated e-mail time will help you to make progress on other projects, securing a good work-life balance.
Tip 5: Minimise distractions
Think of time management as focus management. When you feel disoriented, you feel out of control.
When you are distracted, your mind gets cluttered.
Disable e-mail alerts, refuse to check social media, or turn off the phone if you need to.
In challenging times, the more you manage to safeguard a portion of your time, the more you will be able to maintain focus and perspective.
If you protect your energy, you will become more likely to notice new opportunities and possibilities.
Tip 6: Consider saying ‘No’
You might be asked to volunteer on committees, organise events or step in to cover somebody’s absence.
You might feel tempted to take these on without considering if you have the capacity.
However, you could regret your decision later.
To help you make better decisions, you could discuss your thoughts with a trusted friend or colleague.
Tip 7: Be honest
At times, honesty will be your only elixir. Take a good look at your actions.
Are you wasting time avoiding getting started?
Are you checking and liking and commenting on social media just to distract yourself from your task?
If you find yourself regularly procrastinating, ask yourself why you keep putting off the task.
You might feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work, feel physically exhausted, lack crucial skills or do not believe that the work is meaningful.
Use a journal to acknowledge your feelings.
Express your concerns to an empathetic friend.
Look deeper into the cause of procrastination with curiosity.
Tip 8: Focus on practice and not perfection
Think of your next project or task as practice.
Take all the opportunities you can to chisel your skills and to do even better than you did last time.
If you need to speak up at a board meeting, think about this as another opportunity to practice confident public speaking.
If you need to go to a large networking event, consider this a practice to polish your networking skills.
Try to focus on what you can do better than last time, and what you can improve.
Tip 9: Work with a coach
Coaching helps you to get from where you are to where you want to be, a great support for work-life balance.
A skilled coach demonstrates a non-judgmental attitude, listens to you carefully and helps brainstorm some actions with you.
They provide a safe and supportive space to help you achieve your aspirations.
Some universities offer in-house coaching for employees, which might be worth exploring.
Alternatively, you could hire an external coach.
Tip 10: Take advantage of additional support
Most universities offer Employee Assistance Programmes and provide free, independent and confidential support, including counselling.
You could also explore some charities. Education Support is a UK charity supporting the mental wellbeing of education staff in universities.
The Charity called Mind offers advice to people with mental health problems as well as a range of initiatives.
Samaritans aims to provide emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, and they can be accessed at any time of the day.
Explore other articles related to work-life balance and managing your workload:
- 5 Tips For Managing Workload
- Working with the Load
- How to balance social media presence and your professional life
- Working overseas – the pros and cons
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