Tips to Achieve a Healthy Work/Life Balance
These days, there is a lot expected of parents. From holding down your job, to looking after the kids and making some time for yourself, it can be extremely difficult trying to find the good work/life balance. While work and your job is, of course, important, it should never be the priority over your health and wellbeing as you need to have energy to fulfil other aspects of your life. Here, we are taking you through the different ways in which you can work towards achieving a healthy work/life balance.
Managing Expectations
When you are on a quest to find the perfect work/life balance, the first thing that you will have to realise is that there really is no such thing and that you need to manage your own expectations here. While we would all love to be able to be wide awake at 5am, hit the gym, meal prep your lunch, take the kids to school, go to work, come home, cook dinner, do chores and wind down, we all know that this is not reality and a rarity.
Your aim here is not to try and create the perfect schedule that you must stick to at all times as each day is different and your priorities will change depending on what you have on that day. Just be constantly assessing where you are at to ensure you don’t quickly fall back into the trap of putting work first all of the time.
Make Heath a Priority
While your job is important, nothing is as important as your health. If you have been struggling with health issues, whether this be mentally or physically, it is important that you seek help for this and fit this into your schedule. Don’t be afraid also to call in sick if you think it is going to be detrimental to your health to go into work. Employees who are healthy will be more productive, take less time off and will overall be much happier, so prioritising your health is good for both you and the company.
Get A Job You Like
We recognise that this is a lot easier said than done, but if you really hate what you do, then this is always going to affect your work/life balance as you won’t be happy. We don’t know many people who love every single aspect of their job, but it is important that you find it exciting and that you don’t dread having to leave your bed to go every morning. Find a job that you love to instantly provide you with a healthier work/life balance.
Say NO More Often
If you are in work and are feeling already overwhelmed, but are being asked to take on more work, then it is important that you learn the art of saying no. This can also apply to your personal life too and it is important that you are sometimes selfish and put yourself first rather than others. Saying no is not a sign of weakness as you are simply recognising that you cannot do something. However, if you are finding that this is a regular thing then you may want to think about how you can be more organised in the workplace to limit stress and make sure you are meeting deadlines so you can then make sure you are home on time.
If you have trouble managing a heavy demand on your time, one solution is Kanban software. It’s a good solution and it can help you meet deadlines, delegate tasks and keep better track of your workflow. Make sure to spend some time and find more information about Kanban software and find out how it will help you in your quest to achieving a better work/life balance. It is worth it.
Unplug and Unwind
In this new world full of technology, it is hard to get two minutes peace from it. When you have constant emails coming through, this just adds unnecessary stress, particularly if you are looking at these emails from home. We would recommend that you frequently cut yourself off from social media to focus on the real world, your friends and family. This will give you the time that you need to recover from weekly stresses and it also gives you time to come up with new thoughts and ideas that could help you in your workplace. Taking time out to unwind is vital to your success and will ensure you are energised to take on all aspects of your life.
Take Time For Yourself
This is one of the most important tips on the list and it Is vital if you want to achieve a healthy work/life balance, and that is to make sure that you are taking time out for yourself. Jobs are incredibly important but they don’t have to be your whole life. What’s more, sometimes as parents we can feel guilty that we are spending too much time at work and so all of our time at home is spent with the children, however, it is still important that you make some time for yourself to ensure you a happy and healthy. Focus on surrounding yourself with loved ones, including friends and family, as these personal relationships are what really matter.