It’s extremely difficult to find uninterrupted time to relax and disconnect from work, especially if you’re working more than 50 hours a week. With social media, email, and other collaborative tools, it can be hard to separate life inside and outside the office.
If we look at the numbers, 66% of full-time American employees strongly believe that they do NOT have a work-life balance. And of those employed adults, 33% even work on an average Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.
Another survey pointed out at the following significant workplace statistics:
- 60% of Americans feel that there are not enough hours in a day to complete all of their tasks.
- 41% of people say it’s been 6 months or longer since they’ve felt completely relaxed and stress-free.
- 46% of employees feel that they don’t have enough time to relax.
If these statistics are adding stress to your life, don’t worry! I am going to share some work-life balance hacks that will make enough time in your life to enjoy things outside of work.
Here are 7 tips to help you strike the perfect balance between your professional and personal life.
- Identify what really matters
The secret to a better work-life balance is to know what it means to you first. Work-life balance priorities for a married individual may be DIFFERENT than what it could be for singles. Take a moment to identify what really matters to you and then figure out the best way to integrate that into your life without one overlapping into the other.
- Eliminate time-wasting activities
Too many people spend too much time working on things that don’t really matter. Get into proper planning and structure your day in a way that you get to focus on the most important tasks (MITs) first before getting into menial tasks. Eliminate every time-wasting and unfruitful activity from your schedule.
- Set priorities and timebox them
Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group, loves making to-do lists to prioritize his tasks and manage time daily. To increase its effectiveness, set a deadline for each task on your to-do list. When every task is prioritized and timeboxed at work, you’re more likely to leave on time from office and give time to your family, hobbies, and yourself.
- Know your peaks and troughs
Our energy and focus follow a natural cycle during the day. The most productive people focus on just a few hours a day i.e. during their peak hours. That’s when you need to focus on the intense work when your energy levels are high. If you’re a morning person, assign high-concentration and priority tasks during the early hours of the day.
- Put down your phone
Smartphone usage statistics suggest that the average person spends 2 hours and 51 minutes (nearly 3 hours) on their mobile device daily. Slashing down your mobile/social media usage will give you extra hours and make you more productive. Use time management software like RescueTime to monitor your social media usage and spot areas of overactivity to find your ideal work-life balance.
- Work from home and stay organized
Long commutes can wreak havoc in the pursuit of work-life balance causing you to feel stressed and restless at the end of the day. Remote work or working from home, on the other hand, is associated with a feeling of comfort and independence. It leads to increased productivity, higher work satisfaction, and less exhaustion among workers. Thus, telecommuting is quite an effective way to achieve a more equitable work-life balance.
Note: Trello and HipChat are tools used by remote workers to better organize their tasks, communicate (and chat) effectively with team members and boost their overall productivity.
- Relax your mind and body
Being productive isn’t always about being busy. Take out some time to NOT do anything every once in a while. Go for a picnic, watch a movie, read a book, spend time with your kids or just relax at home. It will rejuvenate your mind and refresh your body. When both your mind and body are well-rested, you can focus better at work and strike a healthy work-life balance.
How do you maintain your work-life balance?
It’s possible to have a perfectly fulfilling professional career and personal life. All you need to do is to make small changes in your lifestyle and commit to them.
That’s all for now. I want to know how you keep your life in balance. Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
All the best!
