Is work taking over your private life? Many people go to the office earlier than necessary and leave it hours after everyone else has left. And, as if this weren't bad enough, employees who are most dedicated to work take several hours to work at home in the evenings and on weekends, thus disrupting the balance between work and private life.
The main reasons why you should find a balance between work and private life are:
You feel overwhelmed and overworked
You want to spend more quality time with a partner / with your children
Long commutes from home to work make you waste too much time a day
You neglect friends / social commitments
Find yourself working from home in the evenings or on weekends
Basically, it all comes down to better time management. So here are four tips to improve your work-life balance:
Make the most of your commute to work
When on public transport, you can use this time to reply to emails, so you are ready to start working as soon as you arrive at the office. Alternatively, use this time to read. Getting some rest before and after work can free your mind from office stress, help you relax at the end of the day, and restore the balance between private life and work.
If you live close enough to your office to be able to walk, run or bike to and from, use this opportunity to practice your daily exercise: you will reduce the costs of the gym and optimize the times, so that you also have more free evening to spend it. with friends or family! Exercising and eating healthily increases your energy and clarity, making you more productive throughout the day and helping you regain work-life balance.
If you have to drive to work, you can buy audio books and make the most of your time in the car. If you use a collective car, you will not be able to optimize time in this way but at least you will save on the cost of gasoline.
Prioritize your tasks
Even if you can't always stick to your schedule of activities tightly (phone calls and prolonged meetings are the most common causes for postponing other tasks), setting daily and weekly deadlines will help you be more productive and get out of the office punctual every day, improving the balance between private life and work. Use your phone, e-mail or calendar to set reminders: careful organization can save you a lot of time.
Plan your life outside of work to improve work-life balance
Keeping business meetings on your agenda is a daily routine that helps keep you on track during busy hours. The same habit can also be applied to your personal life. If you also create a precise agenda for your social commitments, it is much more likely that you will be able to maintain a balance between private life and work. The next time you meet a friend for a coffee, instead of vaguely saying "let's meet again soon", immediately mark an expected date and time in your diaries.
Relax when you can
Making the most of the weekend is also difficult if you have nothing planned: you might find yourself in the office on Monday morning thinking "Where did my weekend go?”. You need to use your weekends to relax, unwind and cultivate your interests and relationships. This is the best way to have a strong work life balance and a healthy way to approach to the upcoming new week!
