ENDay in day out working in the office or in these strange times from home. Eight hours a day or sometimes even longer, because the work is not yet finished. Going home tired and not in the mood for anything. Does this sound familiar?
A growing number of people find it difficult to find a good work-life balance. Being successful at work, but still with a house to clean and children and/or partner to spend time with is already a challenging task. Add to this eating healthy, doing sports, hobbies and maintaining a healthy social life, it can be overwhelming. Being available for everything is difficult, but possible. Below you can find some tips that will put you in the right direction.
Prioritize what is important
Ask yourself what is important right now and what can wait? This is a crucial question that you must ask. By prioritizing what is important you spend less time on non-essential tasks. This is about reducing the time spent on menial tasks not about ignoring them completely. Make a list, with the tasks from urgent to less urgent, and then finish it. Dare to make choices, focus on the activities that really make you happy.
Schedule downtime with the help of a calendar
Schedule relaxation time in the calendar, just like a task or appointment. If you don’t plan it, you are less likely to make time for it. Choose a form of relaxation that allows you to clear your head, something you enjoy. Try to avoid screens as much as possible, so that the brain does not receive too many incentives and allow it to rest.
Measure the time you spend on your daily tasks
How much time do you spend on certain tasks? It is useful to look at this as it can save time. If the execution of a task takes half an hour, but the time scheduled is an hour, you automatically spend an hour on this task. This is wasted time. Be critical of how you spend your time and see how you can be more efficient with you time.
Do less
The more you try to do, the harder it will be to find a healthy work-life balance. More obligations require more energy and time, so there is constant tension. There is no clear data indicating that the more you work, the more productive you are. The contrary can indeed be found, Delsen’s research shows that the more someone works, the less productive and efficient the work is.
To do this you can resort to tools that will help you not only be more efficient with your time, but also half the amount of effort needed. vBoxx believes it is important to be able to work efficiently and has therefore set up products in such a way that you can work quickly and efficiently.
Be strict with your work schedule
Working time is not called working time for nothing. Work the hours agreed with the employer. The working hours are written down and you are paid for this number of hours, not more, not less.
It is important to avoid as much as possible your phone ringing outside working hours. You will need to create these boundaries, so turn the telephone off or put in on silent mode after working hours. If you don’t set your boundaries clearly, how will others know what your boundaries are? Set boundaries for a healthy work-life balance.
Embrace the art of doing nothing
Sometimes doing nothing is the best you can do. Being always busy can lead to long-term fatigue. This can lead to unhealthy habits, increased stress and no time for other activities. In many cases, it leads to burnout. Burnout occurs when the body’s reserves run out for a long time due to all the stress and fatigue, making it difficult or impossible for the body to recover. As a result, work can no longer be performed, and private life comes to a standstill. The body needs to rest and cannot go on 24/7.
Working together with colleagues
Dare to ask for help. Collaborate with a colleague, so that you can perform the task faster and/or better or simply delegate a task. A colleague may be better or faster at getting the job done or has more time for it. In a collaborative environment you will learn from your colleagues and actively contribute to the work done by the team.
An online environment can facilitate communication and increase your productivity. Having a secure place to access the same files with your colleagues can create an ideal collaboration environment. A cloud solution such as vBoxxCloud can facilitate collaboration with your colleagues.
Don’t stress about things you can’t control
Don’t worry about things in life that you have no control over. It only costs energy and does not have any positive impact in your life. Try to worry less about the things that you do have an influence on. Constantly thinking and worrying about the same topic can lead to unnecessary stress. The energy is needed for a healthy work-life balance!
Spend less time online
Hardly anyone goes through life without a smart phone, tablet, or laptop. The first thing many people do when they wake up is to check the online world. Make an effort to reduce the time spent with electronic devices. Whenever possible use them sparingly. This will give you rest and more time.
Too much news can be bad news
Being up to date with the latest news is important, but at times you should avoid them. These days news consist plenty of negativity, which can influence your mood and thoughts. Stay informed but if you notice you are spending too much time looking at the news, try to focus on a different activity. Be strict with the time you spend watching news, check them once a day and focus on different and more fulfilling activities after.
It does not need to be perfect
Combining a job, family life and other activities can sometimes be difficult. Decide for yourself what is important to you right now to be satisfied with yourself. If you focus on this, it is easier to accept that other things are not perfect. You cannot always give the same attention to all the tasks, and that is ok. Good is also enough. It doesn’t all have to be perfect because no one is perfect.
Enjoy life
Life is not just finishing tasks and working non-stop. Enjoy the beautiful things: the loved ones, the small and big successes, and achievements in life. Be thankful for what has been accomplished and for what is yet to come.
In short, there is no ‘work life’ or ‘private life’, but one life, your life. It is important for both mental and physical health that there is a healthy work-life balance. So, we suggest you step out of your comfort zone and apply some of these tips today!
Sources
Staff Burn-Out. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x
Langer werken drukt juist productiviteit. https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/176297/176297.pdf?sequence=1