Don't Let That Job Work You: Maintaining Work Life Balance
Ever felt overworked and un-appreciated at work?
The Pew Research Center did a study in 2023 and an interesting stat is that only 62% feel that the contributions they make at work are valued a great deal or fair amount.. That leaves a large number of people who spend significant time during their 9-5 feeling unappreciated.
So my question is “why is that acceptable?”
If we are already in jobs that don’t appreciate us, why do we continue to give them the best of us? Meaning why do we continue to go “over and beyond” when it’s not noticed. Personally, going “over and beyond” is in my nature plus I always want to be helpful and add value. But, unfortunately, I realized that that energy is better spent pursuing things that are actually important to me. Most days I was so drained from the job, I didn’t have much left for my own personal goals. I was giving the job all I had, and in turn, give myself nothing.
All this to say: I didn’t have work-life balance. And I was slowly getting burnt out. Plus falling behind on my own goals. And I knew that the CEO didn’t care. What makes it more frustrating, however, is that I’m sure that same scenario is playing itself out in all sorts of work environments. So, I want to offer ways to tap back into yourself and no longer let your job run your life.
Create an enjoyable morning routine
Reclaim your morning by creating and following a morning routine. This helps to set the tone for your day and remind you that you do have control over how your spend your time. This is a way to prioritize yourself, starting first thing in the morning. I used to roll out of bed, rush to shower and get dressed before rushing to work. I didn’t take control of my morning and immediately made the job the priority. Now I know better, and even though I am self-employed I ensure I follow a morning routine. Try meditation, morning beverage/ full breakfast, exercise or even pamper yourself at the start of your day. If you don’t feel you have enough time in the morning to do anything significant, then try going to bed earlier so you can wake up earlier.
Have a designated work space
When I started working from home many years ago, I had my workstation in a corner of my living room. It was easy to continue working after I was supposed to leave for the day because my workspace was a pretty central location in my house. Now I have a home office and I can simply come upstairs to work and go downstairs when I’m done for the day. My fiancé got some home office essentials and it’s made it a comfortable place to work and we even have a couch in there to unwind during quick breaks. I work from a desktop computer, so once I leave the office I’m not working. It makes it easy to avoid temptation to stay logged on all day and into the night.
Create and follow a schedule (be sure to include breaks)
An easy way to manage your time is to work from a schedule, even if it’s a time blocked one rather than a strict schedule. Having specific hours and committing to taking the breaks you built in for yourself is extremely helpful. Avoid working during your lunch and totally unplug from your workspace while eating/ taking a break. Give the Pomodoro technique a try, where you work hard for a specific interval, then you follow up with a short break before hitting the work again.
Build a social life and don’t neglect it
Even though it can be hard to make new friends as an adult, it is still worth it to build and enjoy a social life. This helps to tear you away from work sometimes so that you can refresh your spirit. For example you may decide you want to go to happy hour with some friends right after work- that means you would leave work at 5pm on the dot so you can get somewhere by 5:30. Try looking for clubs and groups along your natural interests, and at the minimum you’ll get to experience something or someone new. At the end of the day, you have to prioritize what’s important to you and you can do that through relationships and social activities.
Take time off, and make it non-negotiable
Don’t forget to take time off and enjoy vacations- you need them to recharge and avoid burnout. While it’s commendable for your employer to think you are always reachable, you should consider totally unplugging and being unreachable to set boundaries while on leave. And if you’re on vacation, be completely present in whatever you’re doing- don’t consume your thoughts with work stuff and shed any guilt you have about taking time off.
Achieving work-life balance can be a game changer for improving your overall well-being, productivity, and relationships. You have a chance at prioritizing your physical and mental health by implementing these tips into your daily lives. Do you have any extra tips for maintaining work-life balance? Would love to hear about them in the comments!