Work/life balance has never been more important, and yet so misguided. There is a massive industry specializing in wellbeing and mindfulness, yet it will not matter how many spa kits you buy; they won’t help you achieve a better work/life balance. That requires career shifts, finding the right employer, and understanding what you are passionate about.
In an ideal world, everyone will work in a job that they love. Typically, this job should be what they are passionate about, what they are good at, and what they can be paid well to do. Unfortunately, not everyone will be in this job role right now, and if you aren’t, then you may find you are struggling to manage your stress and your health.
Why You Need a Healthy Work/Life Balance
Though there are many personal reasons why you may want a better work/life balance (for example, more time to travel or more time to pursue a hobby) the biggest reason is your health and mental wellbeing.
Overworking can lead to chronic stress, which is a serious issue that can severely impact your health. In situations where it is ongoing, and you don’t manage to get regular reprieves from your stress, it can even lead to an anxiety disorder.
There is a reason why workers today are more stressed and why it seems like more people than ever before have anxiety or even depression, and that is because capitalist pursuit has overshadowed human health.
This issue applies even in roles where health is the main goal. Nurses face chronic fatigue, compassion fatigue, and, thanks to the pandemic, unsafe working conditions. Yet, they are not just forced to work more stressful hours; they also suffer from the moral obligation of helping those in need.
It can be tough to be in a situation like that, where it can feel like you are setting boundaries and putting more emphasis on your own health can kill a patient or at least hurt their quality of care. There is a reason why there is a growing emphasis on worklife balance and an increased number of support and suggestions for nurses, and that is because their work is critical, but so are they.
It doesn’t make sense either to force workers to reach their burnout point or allow them anywhere near that level of stress because it severely decreases the quality of work. When you are tired, stressed, or ill, your attention to detail, endurance, and cognitive abilities all suffer. You will never be able to provide the best results when you are suffering from ongoing stress, which is why everyone needs to improve their work/life balance, and why greater support systems are needed to make that happen.
How to Improve Your Work/Life Balance
Work/life balance isn’t found in the things that you can buy, but instead in how you conduct your day.
1. Keep Working Towards Your Dream Job
It may seem like adding on a degree or further training goes against the work/life balance promise, but this isn’t the case at all. In fact, by investing in your future career through learning you can stay feeling fulfilled and like you are progressing. Never underestimate the dangers of feeling stuck, especially when you are in a stressful situation.
Take nurses, for example. Working in hospitals can be very stressful, especially if it is your dream to work more one-on-one with patients in a calmer environment. By investing in further training, you can take that training in your own hands. It does take work, and a few years, but the slow progression can help you manage your stress better and, in the end, enjoy a work/life balance you enjoy.
2. Don’t Fill Up Your Free Time with Scrolling
One of the reasons why you may not feel calm and constantly stressed is because you spend your free time scrolling through social media. Social media is designed to be addictive, and there is so much contact you will never “catch up”. It has also changed our brains and has made it harder to focus on anything else that takes longer than a few seconds to engage with.
By reducing or stopping your time scrolling, and by filling that time with something you enjoy that relaxes you, you can get more out of your downtime without changing anything about your career. Free time should help you enjoy your time, so if you find you spend hours scrolling and then don’t know where the time has gone, it’s important to make a change.
3. Support Your Health
The body can only offer so much for you when it is running low on fuel. The fuel in question is more than just calories. By improving your diet, and getting a better night’s sleep, you improve your work/life balance simply by increasing your body’s ability to manage stress.
When you have a poor night’s rest your ability to handle stressful situations, loud situations, and even a lot of work decreases significantly. The same applies when you eat poorly. In these instances, the best way to improve your quality of life is to make it easier, and to make it routine, to give your body what it needs.
3. Rely on a Support Network
The final tip to improve your work/life balance, without actually changing your current job situation, is to create and rely on a support network. This can be others in your job role, co-workers you trust, friends and family, and even a therapist. All of these options are viable, and it is important to diversify who you rely on. The only exception to this is your therapist, who is not only trained but is paid to provide you one-on-one, intensive support and advice as you need.
A support network is necessary for you to help understand your stress, what is causing it, and how you can fix it. The most obvious answer doesn’t always work, and without that introspection you may end up bringing your stress with you from job to job.
It isn’t Just on You: Employers Also Need to Step Up
Though it may feel like managing a healthy work/life balance is on you, it’s not. A good balance starts with managers, who need to provide an environment that sets you up for success. This is in their best interest as well.
Take, for example, the increase in productivity seen after all remote suddenly had to become remote. Even post-pandemic, remote work is expected to increase productivity by 5%. When downtime at work can be used to do chores, or to spend time with pets or loved ones, quality of life goes up. There are more than enough management tools today to easily keep track of what employees are doing without having them sit at a desk in your office.
What this means for you is that, at the end of the day, one of the best things you can do for your work/life balance is to find an employer who supports it. This can be found in every industry, even healthcare as stretched to the limit as it is.
1. Remote or Flexible Work
For most, remote or flexible work is going to be a cornerstone for work/life balance. Simply taking out the commute from the equation does wonders. That is hours of the day that are back in your hands, much less the down time while you are waiting for one thing or another at work.
2. Review Workloads
Employers need to review workloads. There is a trend where more roles are offered that should be done by multiple people. You may want to prove yourself but taking on too much at once is disaster waiting to happen. Not only do you need to be careful not taking on a ‘Wishlist’ job role, but your manager should also review your workload, particularly if the business is expanding. You may be the best, but you only have so many hours in a day and eventually having more hands on deck is going to be essential.
3. Limit After-Hours Contact
After-hours contact should either be limited, or outright forbidden. An increasing number of countries are making it illegal, because at the end of the day if your employer contacts you and requires a response after your work day, and doesn’t pay you overtime for the privilege, then they are stealing from you. Time is money, and your free time is invaluable.
4. Give Options for Benefits
Not everyone is going to want a gym membership. Some might not need childcare support. Employers should offer a list of benefits and give their employees the right to choose, so that they can enjoy benefits that will help their work/life balance the most.
There are many ways that employers can help support you, but generally remote work, stopping contact after hours, and reviewing workloads should be your priority. Benefits are just benefits, and should be seen as icing on the cake, while the aforementioned top three are the cake itself.
Keep being AllDayChic!
