Achieving success within your career is an integral part of many people’s lives. However, it can be argued that having the right balance between career and personal life is also essential. To ensure that individuals have the best wellbeing possible and are getting as much as possible out of their life, it is vital to maintain a good work life balance at all times. As such, this article aims to provide everything you need to know to maintain the best work-life balance as possible.
What Exactly Is Work-Life Balance?
Put simply, work-life balance is the amount of time someone spends on their career in relation to other parts of their life. e.g. their private life. People’s lives are often hectic, juggling a multitude of tasks such as raising a family, hobbies and leisure time. Having a good balance between work and private activities is the key to health and happiness, both inside work and out of it. Inevitably, work-life balance varies based on things such as age and career goals.
Why Is Work-Life Balance Important?
If your work-life balance comes out of line, it can affect many parts of your life such as emotions, physical health and finance. And consequently, relationships can break down. Which can affect work performance.
The Main Reasons Why Someone Should Try to Maintain a Good Work-Life Balance Are to:
- Avoid burnout. Personal problems can affect your career and when you are tired, it is not possible to perform at your best.
- Reduce stress. A poor work-life balance can cause stress and when not dealt with properly, health problems can be exacerbated, and new issues could occur. Not to mention personal distress that could occur.
- Help fulfil personal and career goals. Some people believe that the harder they work, the more they will achieve. This is not true. In fact, it might even reduce the quality of your work and reduce your opportunities for progression.
How Can I Work Towards Achieving a Better Work-Life Balance?
Firstly, try and work out what demands you are currently experiencing in both your work and social life. This will put you on the right steps to working out a work-life balance that will work for you. There are a number of further steps that you can do to help work towards this as well. Such as:
Keeping work and private lives separate. Examples include setting out a start and finish time for a typical work day, making sure you aren’t overworked and avoiding checking your emails all the time.
Prioritising tasks and events in your personal and private lives. For example, organising tasks and setting achievable goals.
Putting aside time to rest. Set aside time to enjoy yourself at least once a day such as catching up with friends or with your latest TV programme. This will work wonders for your wellbeing.
Learn how to say no when necessary. Do not just agree to completing every task that is set for you. Instead, consider if you have both the time and the energy to complete the tasks.
Would My Employer Approve of Me Having a Good Work-Life Balance?
Your employer will want to know that you are a healthy and happy individual. As such, they are likely to approve of a work-life balance. After all, if their employees are happy, they are probably going to complete more work as a result. Moreover, issues such as resignations, which can cause problems, are likely to be less frequent. One good way to encourage the best staff is to offer flexible working.
