How to get a healthy work-life balance

Many office workers experience stress after struggling to balance their time, especially now that working from home is here to stay.

While working long hours every week may be beneficial in the short-term, the longer-term effects are likely to be negative and could prove potentially harmful to your health, as well as your personal life.

If this sounds familiar, following the 10 tips below should help restore to some work-life balance.

Leave work at the office

Checking your laptop or work phone after hours can bring with it the temptation to continue tasks. This might stop your home from feeling like a place of sanctuary, increasing the risk of the stress.

Making the effort to separate business and pleasure could help you to relax in the evening. If you need to continue at home, then why not practice keeping work-related technology switched off from a certain time of night?

Go home on time

Similarly, heading home from work on time means you'll earn back minutes (or even hours) for yourself.

Even if it's not possible every day, choosing a couple of days a week where you wrap everything up before finishing can allow you to enjoy the evening without worrying about work.

Consider working part-time

Working part-time isn’t for everyone, whether for financial or personal reasons, but doing so may free up some extra downtime.

If possible, you could speak to your boss about whether part-time hours or flexitime are options. You might work longer hours for 4 days per week and have an extra day off to recharge.

Learn to say 'no'

Most people who find themselves with an unmanageable workload often struggle to say 'no' to taking on a task. In many cases, this stems from a fear of it having a negative impact on their career.

On the contrary, too much work could actually stifle your productivity. So, next time you get asked to do something you don’t have time for, consider saying 'no' and delegating the task to someone else.

Organise and prioritise

When you consider how much time we dedicate to work compared to our free time, the ratio can be surprisingly unfair.

Why not try making a list of what you want to achieve in both scenarios. This helps you to prioritise tasks and get the most critical things done without compromising something else.

Take up a hobby

It’s important for us to think about something else other than work, and taking up a hobby could allow you to do this.

Whether it involves going to the gym or learning to play a musical instrument, hobbies can take your mind away from the office by immersing you in something completely different.

Make time for loved ones

It isn’t always easy to make sure we spend quality time with our family every night of the week. However, organising catch-ups with family and friends can help to offer some perspective on what is important in life and distract from work stresses.

Plan something fun

Whether it’s a 2-week family holiday in the sun or a concert with some friends, having something to look forward to can make work feel like less of a slog. It will provide a light at the end of the 9-5 tunnel!

Use your holiday allowance

It can be easy to forget about that all-important holiday allowance during busy periods, but booking time away means you could recharge your batteries. It also gives you time to sort out any personal admin.

Consider your career choices

If you feel like you are spending more time worrying about work than enjoying it, then maybe you should reconsider your career choices.

If you are financially secure, it could be a good idea to consider looking for something else. Or if you like the company you work for, why not speak to someone about moving into a different area of the business?

Alternatively, is there an option to set up on your own? While this requires plenty of preparation and commitment, it could be the start of an exciting new career path.