In order to continue flourishing in your career and personal life, it is vital to have a good balance between your time at work and your time away from your job. But in an ever-increasingly virtual world in which your coworkers can contact you at any time of the day, or you can log onto work from the comfort of your bed, how can you maintain this balance?
At times it may seem impossible to separate the two. However, achieving a healthy work-life balance is well within reach.
Define Your Standard
If you’re hoping to sustain an excellent work-life balance, you must first be able to define what that looks like in your life. This standard might look different for each individual. For example, if you prioritize your career above all, you may find yourself wanting to work extended hours for six days a week and have one day of recharging. Others may want to begin work early and end each workday by 3 p.m. in order to have their evenings and weekends free to spend time with friends and family. Some may choose to completely unplug from technology when work is over so they cannot be bothered.
While this looks different for every employee, once you’ve defined what you want your work-life balance to look like, you must set guidelines in place for yourself in order to stick to this desired lifestyle. If you are the leader of an organization, your healthy balance will inspire your co-workers to seek out the same stability in their lives.
Take Care of Your Health
Even throughout your workday, you should take the time to care for your health. Whether that means you are bringing pre-packaged, nutritious meals, taking brief walks throughout the day, or doing stretches after sitting for long periods, it is important to take your health into consideration.
When you return home from work, you should also pursue some type of physical activity and try to maintain a healthy diet. Though it is all right to treat yourself some nights, if you indulge in heavy meals or sweets every night after returning from work, this could negatively affect your work performance the following day. You will be able to foster a much better work-life balance if you are taking care of yourself and living a healthy lifestyle even while at work.
Make Time for Yourself
Perhaps most importantly, making time for yourself to partake in enjoyable activities outside of work will significantly help you maintain this balance. When work is over, try to unplug and engage in a hobby of yours. Maybe you enjoy golfing or cooking. Making time for these activities will rejuvenate your spirit and give you a reason to put aside your work duties for the day. Not only will this give you a balanced lifestyle, but it will also prevent you from experiencing burnout.