Tips for Creating a Work-Life Balance That’s Perfect for You
Sometimes it can be hard to disconnect your personal life from your job. With the rise in working from home, some of us are really starting to feel like our homes are just a second office, but with sweatpants instead of slacks. Associating your living space with work can lead to burnout or job dissatisfaction.
If this is happening to you, it’s time to take your work and life balance into consideration. If you’re not sure where to start, we have a few helpful tips to bring the balance back into your life.
Set Your Personal Limits
This is a very individual process, so it will vary from person to person. Take some time to reflect on your values and needs. What does a good work-life balance look like to you? Is it not responding to work emails on the weekends? Or only taking on as many projects as you can handle within a given work week? Or even not thinking about work at all once you clock out?
Regardless of what a healthy work-life balance looks like for you, it’s important to step back and consider how much work you can handle without being overwhelmed. It’s okay to say no to extra work if you have too much on your plate.
Manage Your Time Effectively
Homework is something we’d all like to have left behind once we finished school. It is important to manage your time at work effectively so you don’t need to take extra work home with you. If you need help staying on task, consider making a to-do list of your tasks and projects for the week ahead so you can split your work up to be manageable.
Don’t just manage your work time effectively; your leisure time is equally important. Setting aside time to spend on hobbies, with your family, and everything else is good for keeping yourself feeling happy and satisfied with your job.
Unplug
Spend your time off of work totally unplugged (if possible). Keep your work computer and phone turned off, and over the weekends, set your email to automatically send out a response that you’ll answer any requests on Monday.
Make sure that you are taking breaks as needed. If you have a lunch break, consider putting your work aside while you eat so you can recharge. Maybe even go for a walk or a bike ride on your break to get some exercise in and get a change of scenery. After all, who wouldn’t feel energized after some fresh air?
Don’t Work Where You Play
A lot of us are still working from home, and for some, that means it’s harder to stay disconnected when the work day is over. If you don’t have the space for a personal office where you live, avoid working in your bedroom, if possible. Working from your bedroom makes it harder to unwind at the end of the day.
If you don’t have a separate space in your home to work, or want to get out of your house to promote a better work-life balance, consider working outside of your home a few days a week. Starting at $150 a month, Office Partners on Pearl offers monthly flex space memberships for those who need a separate workspace. We also have desks on demand for $50 per day for those who only need a few days out of the house.
We’d be happy for you to join our community of thriving businesses and help you find a better work-life balance!
