Maintaining a healthy work-life balance

October 2, 2019

Sophie, one of our HR Assistants, discusses the importance of work-life balance this week.

By Sophie Maskill

The stresses of work can present themselves at any level, whether you’re working a part time student job or a 9 to 5, there’s always going to be things that make you want to tear your hair out – that’s life! So… how do we keep that balance and stop ourselves from letting stress of the workplace effect our lives at home?

Whilst taking work phones and laptops home can give us even better connectivity, this makes the separation of our corporate and personal lives much harder.  According to statistics, nearly half of UK workers spend significant time feeling overwhelmed by their workload, and 85% feel that their job is a large contributor of stress.

There are several benefits of having a healthy work-life balance, such as:

  • Improved health and well being
  • Higher productivity at work and at home
  • Greater job enjoyment
  • Better and more sustainable relationships
  • Feeling more in control of work and home life
  • Overall happiness improved

Here’s my top tips for achieving this are as follows…

Set Boundaries

Ever tempted to check your emails on a Sunday night to see what Monday morning will hold? Don’t do it! Seeing something unexpected could stress you out, impacting your night’s sleep and making you even more tired for your day at work.

Manage your time

It’s important to be efficient both inside and outside of the office. At work, simple task lists to complete when you arrive at your desk can set you up for a successful day. Writing down the things that you need to achieve each day will help you stay on track and not waste time. If it’s a part of your daily routine, try going to the gym before work instead of after, to free up your evenings without feeling guilty for missing a session!

Be prepared

Spending every day popping out to the shops for lunch can waste not only your money, but your time too. By preparing your lunches on a Sunday for the following week, you can combat the stress of doing it at 10pm on a night during the week. More time for your favourite Netflix show, to spend with the kids or simply chilling out!

Take breaks

Eating at your desk whilst you work through your lunch break is totally counterproductive! It’s important to take a break, for at least 30 minutes a day. This gives your eyes a break from the screen, time to regather your thoughts and get ready for a busy afternoon. If you don’t want to go out of the office, bring a book or sit down in a quiet area for a short while. Use your lunchtime wisely and give yourself a much-needed break. You could even use this time to do any jobs that will free up your time in the evenings, like grabbing ingredients for dinner or nipping to the post office.

Take time off

Don’t forget to use your holidays! You have an allowance for a reason, so take the time out to recharge. You don’t have to be going abroad, but you could take a long weekend to spend some quality time at home and with your family and friends.

Do something good outside of work!

Personal development outside of work is so important, it takes your mind off your workload and gives you something to look forward to after work each evening. Try playing a new sport, or volunteering. You can find volunteering opportunities in your local area that suit a variety of skill sets and not only help the local community but can improve your personal skills and confidence. You don’t grow inside your of comfort zone!

Visit https://do-it.org/ to look at volunteering opportunities in your local area.

Remember that work-life balance is about identifying the mix of business and personal life that is right for you. Allow yourself to accept that you won’t be able to maintain this balance all the time as, of course, there are going to be some hectic weeks. However, you can take action by holding yourself accountable for your boundaries and priorities.

Leeds based HR180 is a team of superheroes in HR Outsourcing, Projects and Consultancy committed to work in partnership with organisations of all sizes to establish working policies to go above and beyond Employment Law requirements, to protect both employees and employers alike. We love to hear from you, so call us on 0113 287 8150 or hit the Rescue Me button.

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