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Table Of Contents

6 Tips To Help You Reclaim Your Work-Life Balance

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Table Of Contents

Once upon a time, the line between home life and work-life was as clear as a whistle. Nowadays, however, work tends to overstep those boundaries, making this once simple task anything but simple. It’s the great struggle of the modern era: work and home life. The two are forever intertwined, and while we’ve all heard of work-life balance, it seems that is a myth from a simpler era. Between meeting endless deadlines, attending meetings, and answering emails from our phones, who even has time to leave the office? Can anyone claim they have a healthy work-life balance when their lives exist inside screens?

Here’s the thing: feeling that way isn’t normal. In fact, constantly working and having your work and personal life intertwined is a recipe for disaster. A disaster that ultimately will lead you to burnout. Work-life balance is essential to being productive, well-rested, and getting the most out of life. And that’s why it’s so important to maintain it.

What does poor work-life balance lead to?

Okay – it’s time for a reality check. Work-life balance is a myth. Your life is a balancing act. We all have a work side and a personal side, and both need to be healthy in order for us to be happy. Poor work-life balance can lead to:

  • Fatigue: Over time, fatigue can affect your ability to work effectively and think clearly – which can negatively affect your professional reputation or result in costly mistakes.
  • Poor health: Stress is caused by a lack of balance between life and work. In order to achieve a work-life balance, you need to make sure that your life does not revolve around your job.
  • Lost time with friends and loved ones: A poor work-life balance might cause you to miss important family events or milestones in your life. This can leave you feeling left out and can harm your personal relationships.

How you can reclaim your work-life balance

Hence, to get your work-life balance back on track, below you’ll find some helpful ideas that will help you set limits while making sure that your work doesn’t rule your life. Here’s how you can regain a sense of work-life balance and retake control of your life.

Do things you enjoy

There’s a time and place to be hard-working. But if you’re not at work 24/7, why let it take over your life? 

While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life. You were an individual before taking this position, and you should prioritize the activities or hobbies that make you happy. Make sure to carve out time to do things that you enjoy. Whether that’s spending time with your loved ones, going to a spin class, watching a movie, or sleeping in till 12. 

Set working limits

If you want to work less and play more, set limits on how long you work. Because if you don’t, it’ll literally consume your life. And that’s a serious warning.

The constant accessibility that comes with working from home means that we never really get to unplug from work, no matter what time of the day it is or where we are. Hence, if you don’t put yourself first, your job will run over your day-to-day life like a truck you never saw coming. After all, there are only so many hours in a day that you can work. 

Manage your time wisely

There’s nothing worse than overscheduling yourself and then not being able to meet the work obligations you promised to take on. To avoid this, be sure to set realistic deadlines for yourself and make sure they can be achieved.

Don’t overschedule yourself by agreeing to do work that you can’t possibly do on time. Instead, communicate with your boss about potential deadlines you can’t meet, and work your way around them. Create more space in your schedule for time off by setting smart priorities. And lastly, use every hour of the day wisely, including weekends! 

Get comfortable saying “no”

If you’re feeling overloaded with the tasks on your to-do list, and your family and friends keep getting bumped to the bottom of it, you might need to take a step back and reevaluate what you value more. Set your own deadline for having your to-do list under control and hit the delete key on tasks that don’t get you closer to what you really want. 

Unplug from work

Taking the time to disconnect from work from time to time allows us to recover from day-to-day stress and creates space for new thoughts and ideas. Unplugging can be as simple as practicing transit meditation on your daily commute instead of checking work emails, or practicing yoga at the end of a tough day at work.

Take care of yourself

When you value your own time and well-being above all else, it creates an attitude of non-negotiation with yourself. Most people feel guilty about putting themselves first, but that shouldn’t be the case. The only way you are going to achieve balance is by taking care of yourself first.

So in addition to all these tips, the most important way you can reclaim your work-life balance is by putting yourself first: both mentally and physically. Eat well, exercise, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Reclaiming your work-life balance can do wonders for stress and your overall well-being: you’ll be less tired and stressed, and more yourself and focused on what matters. We hope these tips help you to find a renewed rhythm with your work and your personal life!

Snigdha Gupta
Snigdha Gupta

An avid writer and aspiring marketer, Snigdha is a student at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business.

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