It’s Get A Balanced Life Month this month – all month long!
January is synonymous with fresh starts, and considering it’s Get A Balanced Life Month, there’s no better time to make changes to your daily routine for a more fulfilled life. The best way to start? By figuring out how to achieve the ever-elusive work-life balance.
Of course, it’s not that easy, or everyone would have great balance in their life. But we have some tips to help you get started and headed in the right direction.
What is work-life balance, anyway?
It sounds so easy, and yet few of us are able to actually nail it down and achieve it. Maybe you’re consistently working an extra hour every day, or giving up a Saturday at the ski hill to finish up a project.
Maybe you’re trying your best to leave work at the office, but technology is preventing you from really shutting it down at the end of your work day. A Harvard Business School study showed that 94% of professionals work more than 50 hours a week! And 50% of professionals work 65 hours a week.
Not only does productivity significantly drop the more hours you work, but spending so much time working can negatively impact your life at home, too.
So, how do we achieve work-life balance?
Let go of Perfectionism
Whether it’s at home or at work, constantly striving for perfectionism is a sure way to achieve burnout. It not only adds time to each task, but puts more stress on your shoulders too and prevents you from moving on to other activities.
Turn off Your notifications
If you have a hard time seeing email or text notifications on your phone and not answering them, turn the notifications off! Turning off personal notifications during work hours and vice-versa can help you focus on the task at hand, instead of being subconsciously pulled in numerous directions
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Make Time to Exercise
Regardless of how busy work and life get, it’s important to make time for your health. Go to the gym, practice yoga, take your dog on a longer walk – whatever activity gives you a chance to forget about the to-do list and gets your heart rate up will not only help improve your health, but will decrease your stress, too.
Say No More Often
It can be hard to say ‘no’ to something, especially if it’s a boss asking for a favour or a friend hosting a potluck BBQ. But saying yes to everything is a surefire way to reach burnout, fast. Creating boundaries and sticking to them will help you maintain the balance you wish to achieve – and, don’t forget, that saying ‘no’ to one thing means saying ‘yes’ to something else, whether that’s some downtime or another event you’ve been looking forward to.
Work-Life Balance isn’t something that happens overnight, but small changes over time can lead to more balanced days with less stress and more joy. Once you’ve started the journey and are comfortable with some of your new habits, your new habits will create positive, lasting change.
