Are you struggling to stay sane?
Now we realise that’s a bit of a loaded question . . . . But I think we can all agree that it can definitely be challenging to maintain a good work-life balance.
We’re human beings, we get stressed, we get over worked, we get frustrated and we get burnt out.
Between our careers, partners, kids, friends, social commitments, home life responsibilities and somehow fitting in exercise and our hobbies, can we ever truly be satisfied that every aspect of our lives is getting enough attention?
According to research by The Australian Institute, two thirds of Australians feel that their current work hours are negatively affecting their health, wellbeing and relationships. It was reported that 38% of Australian employees said their work has negatively impacted their stress levels and 27% reported suffering from work-related anxiety.
It’s not too late! We’re here today to share with you our top tips for mastering your work life balance. So, hopefully, you can start getting your sanity back.
1. Take Your Lunch Break Outside
It’s time to unchain yourself from your desk and go see the outside world.
Remember the outside world?
There’s sunshine, grass, tress, oh and cafes with delicious lunch menus. Make use of them and enjoy your lunch time outside.
Use this time to recharge, get some fresh air and take a walk. Your lunch break is the one part of the day you get to take a breather, have some un-guilty scrolling time on social media, play your favourite song, read a book, relax and mentally refocus.
2. Disconnect From Work While at Home
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. There is such a thing as being over-connected.
These days, work emails can be synced straight to our personal smartphones. We’re essentially carrying around all the stresses of the workday in our pockets. Staying on top of your emails outside work hours creates a vicious cycle where people expect you to respond to emails at all hours.
Switch off your work phone, or remove your work email account from your mobile. If you absolutely cannot miss a particularly urgent email, try setting up your account to only forward priority emails.
Once you do this, you’ll find yourself enjoying your downtime more. Without work interruptions leaking into your home life.
3. Learn That ‘No’ Is Not a Dirty Word
Too long have we been conditioned to think that ‘no’ is a bad word.
When you’re trying to get ahead in your career, it can be hard to say ‘no’. Whether it’s staying after hours, taking work home, taking on someone else’s project or picking up extra shifts.
When you keep saying ‘yes’ to these things people will just keep expecting you to always be this ‘superstar’ that never tires of work. We can promise you right now, at some point you are going to bite off more than you can chew.
The first step to managing your workload and keeping yourself from having a mental break-down is to start saying ‘no’ and establishing your boundaries.
It’s all about lowering your expectations and raising your standards.
What we mean by that is learn how to deflect the pressure you feel from others to constantly say ‘yes’ to everything. When other people always expect you to say ‘yes’, you start to expect more of yourself and open yourself up to unnecessary stress because one day you will fail to meet those expectations and that failure will hit you extremely hard.
You’re not alone, it is possible to avoid this trap. Just start saying ‘no’. You can do it.
Secondly, hold your own personal time to a high standard, make your down-time a priority, make it sacred and don’t let your boss or your colleagues overstep your boundaries. This is absolutely vital to mastering your work life balance.
4. Book In Time With Your Loved Ones
It might seem ridiculous to ‘book in’ time with your friends and family for a simple cup of coffee. But we all know our lives can get seriously busy.
When you think about it, you book dentist, doctor, car and hair appointments in advance all the time. Why not give your friends and family the same level of commitment?
Scheduling in time with your significant other, family or friends is a sure-fire way to always make time for the people that you love. Write it down in your diary, or your phone’s calendar with reminders so you won’t forget.
Make sure to schedule in time for your favourite activities and hobbies too. Everyone needs their down time to do things they enjoy.
Know a workaholic? Remind them to take it easy and help them master their work life balance by sharing this post with them!
