Work/life balance is a thing of importance nowadays but keeping one is not easy. With the world shifting to WFH, it is harder to concentrate on one thing. With attending your board meetings in the living room and rushing to submit your report while having dinner, everything is a disaster.
What is work-life balance?Work-life balance is the equilibrium between professional and personal life, which sounds easy to establish but is not. Work and family have their separate demands and sometimes it is harder to concentrate on both. Since the pandemic has hit the world most of the working class is facing the situation of poor work-life balance.
Importance of work-life balanceWork-life balance is an important aspect of healthy living. Work-life can impact the other aspects of a person’s life in many ways. Our professional life is important to us as it is the one that ensures that we get food and shelter but this doesn't mean that it should affect our relationships and health. A proper work-life balance leads to:
- Fewer health issues Overwork leads to fatigue and many other health issues. A proper work-life balance can lead to fewer health issues and more energy. Having good health ensures better work performance and healthy relations.
- More Concentration Having a proper work-life balance will encourage you to engage with your work more and increase your concentration. Having great concentration leads to better performance and productivity.
- Less stress Mental health is as important as your physical health. After the pandemic, a lot of people have undergone serious mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Proper work-life balance helps you keep your mind healthy and happy.
Poor work-life balance is not only related to establishing an equilibrium between work and personal life but also how it impacts our overall living pattern and lifestyle.
Consequences of poor work-life balance are:
- No time for work or family: People often find themselves juggling between doing work and giving time to their family but there is never enough. This often leads to lower work performance or being left out of the family.
- Health and fatigue: Poor work-life balance often leads to inadequate concentration which in turn leads to long hours of working. This can often lead to stress and fatigue accompanied by other underlying health issues like back pain, cervical, etc.
- Have a proper working schedule Scheduling your daily activities and giving a specific number of hours to your work can help. Those working hours should be fully devoted to your work and nothing else. Other activities should also be included according to your priority.
- Make your working ambiance pleasant
Your working space should be well organized and pleasant. Working space is made more effective by including ergonomically styled furniture and equipment. Other things that need to be kept in mind are:
- There should be a proper amount of light in the room.
- There should be proper ventilation.
- The room should smell good (aroma lamps can be used).
- Take a break now and then Taking a break is as important as doing work and breaks don't need to be an hour long. Giving yourself a 2 minutes break every 15 minutes has proven to positively affect working performance and work-life balance. During the break, you can stretch yourself or just close your eyes and relax. This will give you the strength to be productive for the next 15 minutes. You can take a big break after every 3 hours like a lunch break.
- Having time in your schedule to hang out with your family Always have a time slot separate for your family and friends. No matter how busy you are or how much workload you have, the family should be your priority. You can include simple tasks like watching T.V. with your kids or cooking dinner with your wife/husband or making it compulsory to have dinner with them. You can also plan weekend trips and dinner dates that will make your family feel like they are important.
- Knowing your biological clock Every person is designed differently and this is how the biological clockworks. Every person has a different time when they are highly active. Some people are highly productive early in the morning while some prefer that time to sleep. Some people are very productive at night while some are busy snoring. Planning activities according to your biological clock can help gain maximum work done in a day.
- Don’t forget to include exercises in your schedule Exercising daily is said to be the best thing you can ever do to your body. It not only keeps you in shape but also keeps your body and mind healthy and fresh. It leads to the proper functioning of the body and better work performance. Exercising daily is also important to keep stress away from your life which in turn leads to healthy relationships.
- Do what you love Doing something that doesn’t excite you is a huge reason for stress and unproductivity. It is not necessary that you love everything about your job, but there should be something about it that you are passionate about. The job should not drain you out of your energy but rather make you feel livelier.
- Be connected to nature Being connected to nature makes you feel livelier and more energetic. You can keep some indoor plants in your office or have a window facing the greenery. During your long breaks, you can go for a stroll in nature or just sit under a tree and relax. This will help you feel calmer and relax.
