Being able to have a life outside of your job is important. It’s important for your mental health, your physical health, and even your productivity at work.
Nobody knows exactly why, but it seems like the more we try to improve our work-life balance, the more it slips from our grasp. It’s like trying to hold onto a wet bar of soap in a public restroom: as soon as you think you’ve got it, it’s gone.
Finding a happy medium between your professional and personal lives can feel like an uphill battle. Thanks to modern communication methods, employees are always reachable. Workers are motivated to work more hours because they are afraid of being laid off. According to a survey conducted by the Harvard Business School, a staggering 94% of working professionals report working more than 50 hours per week, with nearly half reporting working more than 65 hours per week. Experts agree that the cumulative stress of an endless workday is harmful. Adverse effects on health, relationships, and contentment can result.
We want to help! We’ll give you some practical tips on how to make sure that your work-life balance is in tip-top shape so that you can spend more time with your family and friends.
- Do Not Try to Be Perfect
When you’re a perfectionist, you don’t just want to do your job—you want to do it right. You want to get every detail just right, and you have a hard time letting go of things that aren’t perfect.
This is not a good way to live!
If you’re tired of being burned out at work and missing out on quality time with your family because your job is more important than anything else in your life, then let go of perfectionism.
You don’t need to be perfect. In fact, it’s better for everyone if you’re not! Just because something isn’t the way you thought it should be doesn’t mean it’s wrong, bad, or anything other than what it is: an imperfect reality. So stop trying so hard. Stop trying to make everything perfect all the time, and start enjoying life!
- Have a Break
It seems like we are always working.
In numerous ways, technology has improved human existence. However, it has also led to a new norm of expected availability at all times. We are constantly bombarded with emails, Slack messages, and other notifications that we feel compelled to respond to immediately. Not only does this cause stress and burnout, but it also keeps us from being able to fully enjoy our lives outside of work.
If you want to be happy and productive at work, then you should make sure that you’re not working too much. And one way to achieve that goal is by setting aside time during the day when you can focus on yourself and your personal needs—away from your phone and computer screen.
- Feed your Body and Soul
There is a significant problem with stress. It has the potential to cause you to act in ways that you would never normally act, such as drinking more than you should or eating an entire bag of cookies. But do not give in to the temptation to let it control you!
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. It will cause a surge of happy hormones to run through your system. In addition to elevating your mood, it has the potential to lead you into a meditative state, providing you with a two-for-one benefit. Set aside some time each week for self-care activities such as yoga, meditation, or physical activity, for example.
- Don’t Waste Time
Sometimes it’s easier to achieve work-life balance when you know what you don’t want.
It’s easy to get sidetracked at work. You might be thinking about your weekend plans or how you’ll get the kids to school tomorrow. But if you’re not careful, these distractions can stop you from getting the most out of your day—and even cause stress down the road.
One way to achieve work-life balance is to limit time-wasting activities and people. Know your priorities. In order for this method to work, it’s important that you’re honest with yourself about what’s important in your life and then make sure your actions reflect those priorities.
We’re not saying that you should give up on your dreams and goals or that all of the people in your life are a waste of time. But if some of them are taking up a lot more of your time than they should be, maybe it’s time to make some changes.
Maybe you have a friend who always wants to hang out at night and always has plans at the last minute—but never asks how you’re doing, or what’s going on with your life. Maybe it’s time to stop accommodating them and start setting boundaries.
Or maybe there’s something else in your life that’s taking up too much space: an addiction, an obsession (with a hobby or activity), or something entirely else. If it’s not making you happy or contributing positively to your life, why do it? Why let it take up so much space?
- Change is Good
You know what they say: a balanced life is a happy life.
But sometimes, we feel like we just don’t have enough time in the day to do everything we want to do. And then we start feeling guilty about not getting enough sleep, not spending time with our families, or not doing all of our chores.
So how do you get more balance? It’s actually pretty simple: change the structure of your life so that it feels balanced. It might be time for some new habits and routines that work for you—maybe it’s time to start going to bed earlier or waking up earlier, or making sure that you’re taking care of yourself before taking care of others!
Or maybe it’s just time to focus on what matters most to you. Do what makes you feel good—that could mean spending more time with your kids, starting a new hobby, or going on a date night once a week with your spouse. Whatever it is that makes you feel fulfilled and happy is worth prioritizing over anything else in this world.
Our Commitment to Work-Life Balance Environment
At The Job Shoppe, we understand that work-life balance is at the top of your list when it comes to job satisfaction. But we also know that it’s not always easy to find a job that fits your schedule and lifestyle. That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to helping you find jobs that don’t just meet your needs—they exceed them!
We know that there are tons of companies out there that will hire you and then not care about how you’re doing. We pride ourselves on our commitment to helping each and every one of our employees find jobs that are perfect for them, and we want you to know that if you choose us as your job broker, you’re making the right choice.
Our goal at The Job Shoppe is simple: We want to help you find a job where you can fit in right away, have fun with the people around you, and feel like part of the team from day one. It’s all about balance—and we believe strongly in giving our clients what they need most: an opportunity to take care of themselves while taking care of others at the same time.
