We are always mixing our professional and personal life – look at your smartphone: you probably have e-mails from your friends and from your company at the same device, possibly in the same app. Our daily activities seem easier if we can find everything in the same place, and sometimes we do not even realize that we are working at home – so we end up working much more than we should and getting more tired than ever. That is the reason why so many companies are focusing on improving work-life balance from their employees.
The importance of work-life balance
It is easy to get lost between professional and personal matters; especially when you are an entrepreneur, freelancer, independent or startup employee, you probably don’t even notice how many hours you spend working. That is the problem: it is possible that you are working too much, since you are basically always busy with your job.
Work-life balance is important to make sure that you are getting enough time to take care of yourself, relax, spend quality time with your loved ones and, of course, have some fun and relax after working so much. So, if you are wondering how to balance work and life, these four tips will help you:
Make time for yourself
It seems obvious that we need to take some time for ourselves. But that doesn’t mean that just watching some Netflix series after work will do the job: we need time to take care of us. One example of activity that we often forget because we say we are too busy is exercising, but not the only one; besides making time for exercise, it is always a good idea to add some meditation or relaxation time during your day.
If you find yourself making excuses to make these activities to fit in your daily routine, you can always try to work flexible hours: it is very popular among contemporary companies and also easy to adopt if you work from home or from a co-working space.
Take time to disconnect
Your weekend should be time for you to rest and enjoy; it is ok if time to time you have some work stuff to do on your Saturday, but this should be the exception, not the rule. Allow yourself to disconnect during those two days – people will understand if you don’t reply their e-mail on a Saturday night, because they probably will be busy taking care of their personal lives too (or at least, they should).
Make sure you like your job
Some professionals stop paying attention to their work-life balance when they don’t like what they are doing anymore. If you hate your job, you probably won’t be happy, and it will be a reason for stress. If that is the case, maybe it is time to start sending some resumés.
Pay attention to your health
Your health is not only about if your body is physically working. It is also necessary to take care of your mind. If you find yourself in a bad or toxic job, that is a source of stress and anxiety, your health may suffer. So pay attention to the symptoms.
And finally, one last extra tip: it is necessary to understand that there is no perfect work-life balance. But we can always do our best to improve it and have a better life.
