For many professionals, seeking work-life balance is like searching for the Holy Grail. They continue to seek it out and never quite find it. Achieving work-life balance isn’t something that can be achieved overnight. It takes conscious effort and planning and little by little, true equilibrium in one’s work and personal life can become a reality.
Work-Life Balance is Like a Scale
An effective analogy for work-life balance is to imagine a scale with both sides – work and personal life – in balance. While there will be times where work is going to be more demanding, or things will pop up in one’s personal life, making the scale tip more to one side, balance can be achieved over long periods of time.
Why Does it Matter?
Being healthy generally means that all systems are in balance. When one part of the body becomes ill, like the heart or lungs, it can affect the whole system. Having equilibrium between work and life can also be out of balance when too much time or energy is spent in one area. Being in balance is critical to well-being and performance.
Signs of Poor Work-Life Balance
Spending too many late nights working from home can interfere with sleep, and failing to take breaks can lead to exhaustion physically and mentally. Decision-making and problem-solving abilities can suffer, leading to poor performance. Work-life imbalance can lead to a state of burnout or worse.
Here are some tell-tale signs that work-life balance may be lacking:
- Priorities for life and/or work are lacking
- Physical, mental or emotional life is suffering
- Staying up too late
- Eating junk food
- Lack of exercise
- Anger, irritability, anxiety, depression
- Constant exhaustion
- Negativity towards work or personal life
- Reduced performance
- Feelings of disconnectedness
Improving Work-Life Balance
Thankfully, what is out of balance can be successfully rebalanced. Work-life balance is something that looks different for everyone. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Here are some steps to regain equilibrium in professional work life and personal home and family life.
- Create a personal definition of what work-life balance means to you and only you. Some people love what they do so much that they don’t even consider it work, and others stop working at 5pm sharp and leave their work in the office. Take some time to figure out what you want or need and how to achieve it.
- Set boundaries around your personal life as well as your work life and know when to say “no”. There are things on both sides you need to protect, like quality time with family, or getting that big project done on time. Allow your definition of work-life balance to help set those boundaries.
- Set goals, track and measure them, especially in areas like your health, exercise, diet, family time, sleep and vacations, all of which can help to manage stress and mood.
- Create a schedule and plan out time for both work and personal life. There’s an old saying that goes like this – “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”. It’s cute but makes a lot of sense. Start each morning with a plan for the day or create one the night before. Include both a work and personal checklist.
- Make your health a top priority each and every day, because without it, achieving balance will become even more difficult. Some areas to think about include relationships with friends and family, exercise and diet, stress management and quality of sleep.
Final Thoughts on Making Work-Life Balance a Reality
Attempting to balance one’s professional or work life while spending quality time with friends, family or doing things that bring happiness can be a real challenge. The point is that it can be done and does not have to be elusive. But anything that’s worth achieving is going to take some time and effort. Ask yourself “What do I want out of work and my personal life?” and then plan on making your priorities a reality.