3 tips for creating WORK-Life Balance
April is Stress Awareness Month which is national, cooperative effort to inform people about the dangers of stress, successful coping strategies, and harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society. As we all know stress comes from many sources, looks and feels different for all of us, and the way we manage stress also looks different.
Along my journey, I’ve often found that stress will always come, however, it becomes significant for us to become aware of what our symptoms of stress are, shift our perspectives about stress, and learn, know, and actively implement your coping skills to prevent stress and maintain your balance. Obviously, when thinking about the word balance, I might get a few eye rolls just to think about all the things there is to manage like taking care of yourself, taking care of kids, being a spouse, showing up as a business owner, being a friend, showing up at work, and the list goes on, but there’s hope for balance.
Here are 3 Tips To Improve Your Work-Life Balance:
Get To Know Balance
Often, the word balance is thrown around so much, but do you actually know the balance you desire in your life? If yes, you’re on the right track and it’s time execute, which you can do by considering some areas where you can use more of that balance right now and start there.
If your answer is no, don’t worry! Take some time to get know what balance means to you. Imagine if you had a magic wand, what would that balance would look like for you? E.g. spending more time with friends and family, creating more time for activities you love, using your sick and vacation time more often, finding a job with that gives you more flexible, more opportunities for rest.
Set Boundaries
Whether it’s related your job, your business, or personal time, SET BOUNDARIES! When you set boundaries its important that you know what your boundaries are (physical boundaries, emotional boundaries, time boundaries, sexual boundaries, intellectual boundaries, material boundaries), clearly communicate your boundaries, respect your boundaries, and be consistent with your boundaries.
Of course this sounds good, but implementing these boundaries can be difficult because I have been here and I often struggled with feeling uncomfortable with setting boundaries and as a result I was taking work home with me, neglecting my self-care, saying yes to everything, then feeling resentment when having to do things that I agreed to. Here are some ideas of how we can set boundaries:
At Work
Don’t check work phone or emails outside of work.
Don’t take work home with you.
Don’t take on extra projects that you don’t have the capacity for.
Set manageable daily goals.
Don’t engage in workplace gossip, drama, conversations that make you uncomfortable etc.
Spend time away from your desk at lunch or on breaks.
Use Your Sick and Vacation Days.
Business/ Side Hustle
Create a schedule for working on your business
Don’t overcommit to projects that you don’t have the capacity for (other opportunities will come to you)
Schedule Personal Time
Set Realistic Goals
Take Vacations
Personal Time
Say “Yes” to yourself more and “NO” to others
Utilize “Do Not Disturb”, “Focus”, and “Sleep” features on your phone
Schedule Self-Care and other activities you enjoy
Honor your budget
Be mindful of emotional dumping on others and others emotional dumping on you (seek a professional if necessary)
Take time away from technology
Make time for time to be still as well as time family and friends.
Unlearn and Realign
At the beginning of the pandemic it was as if we were all forced to slow down, however, as we have continuously taken steps forward towards our new normal it is as if we have reverted back to the old ways of the hustle and bustle.
Personally, I had to unlearn things like being busy is a badge of honor, rest means I’m lazy, chasing money, society’s standard of success, and more. Unlearning these beliefs and learning myself and what works best for me have had such positive impacts on inviting more balance into my life.
Therefore, I would encourage you to take some time to unlearn and release the ideals imposed on us by society and create your beliefs that align with your values and support your well-being, and go at your own pace to create new habits based on what works for you and adjust as necessary.
We hope these tips are valuable to your journey and encourage you to comment and share any practices that you’ve implemented that have been helpful for creating balance in your life.