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Mar 27,2020
The life of a workaholic revolves around building their career. Maintaining a balance between work and life can be tough, especially in today’s fast-paced life. At times, people forsake their personal life to benefit their careers, which becomes harmful in the long-run. People don’t realise when their work starts taking over their life outside of the workplace, and its important to not let hinder the other.
It is estimated that by 2025 about 75% of the workforce will consist of the millennial generation, which makes it crucial to redefine work-life balance. Most people spend half their life working and lose sight of why they should balance work and life. However, companies are becoming people-centric, meaning managers are taking measures to improve the work-life balance.
‘Stress’ is the main cause a person fails at maintaining a work-life balance. Over stressing leads to other problems, and that’s why it’s essential to find a balance. Here are other reasons why work-life balance is necessary:
Your wellbeing depends on two factors – physical and mental health. You can only maintain your mental health by controlling your stress and workload. A hectic workload can cause stress that affects your physical health. Continually stressing about work causes headaches, loss of appetite, insomnia that will, in turn, affect your workplace performance.
How to Fight Stress:
Too much stress has an effect on your mental health that takes a toll on your physical health also. However, you can control your stress levels with these tricks:
● Physical activities, like exercising or cycling, help relieve stress.
● Learn to say ‘no’ and only make commitments that you can fulfill.
● Keep your phone off when you meet your friends and family.
● Take out time and focus on your hobbies like camping or reading outside of work.
● Ask help from colleagues when you need it.
Once you learn to manage stress in the workplace, you’ll be more productive and active at your job.
A healthy work-life balance enhances your mindfulness at work and home. Mindfulness means being present ‘in’ the moment. A healthy, stress-free mind enables you to be more attentive and responsive. In addition to increased productivity, a work-life balance makes you feel calm and collected at work and home.
How to be Mindful at Work:
Try the following tricks to be more mindful at work:
● Try not to multitask and instead plan out your day and pay attention to each task
separately.
● Make time for tiny breaks like lunch of a 5-minute walk. Breaks will help you regroup
and work more efficiently
● Breathing exercise and meditation help with relieving stress.
Focusing entirely on your work outside the office can affect your relationships. Overworking means less time to spend with your loved ones. Even if you indulge with your family, you can’t make quality time because it’s challenging to be present with an exhausted mind. A balanced work-life means equal quality time for the workplace and loved ones. Additionally, you should also focus on creating relationships outside of work and family. Strong
professional links can benefit your career.
How to Make Time for Family:
● Don’t attend work calls after office hours and vice versa.
● Plan picnics and outings with your loved ones on the weekends.
● Learn to take a break and apply for annual leaves to unwind.
● Engage in activities at work with colleagues that help relieve stress.
It’s no secret that you’ll be more productive and creative if you have a work-life balance. A company would only want individuals who are hardworking, productive, and creative. Productivity and creativity are fruits of a mindful person. A person with a clear mind and less stress are more creative and productive than an overworking person. When you hang around for long hours at work, you’re hindering your work-life balance. It might feel like you’re contributing, but you’re just overworking your mind, and that affects your productivity, creativity, and relationships.
You need a healthy mind to think of creative ideas that are fruitful for your job. If your mind is exhausted from overworking, then you won’t be as creative as you’d like. Anxiety and stress take over a tired brain that affects creative thinking.
How to Maintain Productivity and Creativity:
● Pay attention to your body and understand when to stop.
● Try to limit working overtime.
● Pay attention to tasks you excel in.
● Take time off to refresh your mind. A fresh mind is more determined and motivated.
We work to fend for ourselves and for people we love, but it’s important to love what we’re doing. A work-life balance means feeling good about yourself, your career, and your relationships. Overworking can make you lose interest in your job and leave you stressed and irritated at home. A stress-free work environment has a positive impact on your personal life. Balancing your work and life improves job satisfaction; if you’re happy at work, then you’re
happy at home.
How to Be Happy at Your Workplace:
● Set boundaries for yourself and avoid working outside of office hours.
● Build friendly work-relationships and eat with people. Having work friends will motivate
you to go to work.
● Find a career you’re passionate about.
● Find a job that allows you to have time for social activities.
Achieving A Healthy Work-life Balance
The easiest way to balancing work and life is by finding what you love to do, whether its solo or with family. If you find something you love doing, you’ll eventually make time for it. A little flexibility in your routine will maximise productivity and help you achieve long-term career
goals. The reasons we’ve mentioned are small clues for how to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Balance is only possible if you have the motivation to make it work. We hope the reasons and tricks can help you find an adequate balance between work and life.
This article was produced for Career FAQs by Royce Milligan. Royce is a ‘geek guy’ who loves to explore latest tips and tricks related to tech and HR.
In his free time, he loves to explore blogs related to career development and personal growth.
Jenny found her way with words while interning during uni, since, she's produced articles on it all – from hair and beauty to homewares, travel, career advice and study tips. On a weekend you're most likely to find her lining up for a table at the latest cafe or restaurant.