We have heard a lot about the jargon “Healthy Work-Life Balance”. Although many of us may have a basic idea of what it means, let us understand this concept in detail.
Balance is the word used when two things are weighed and there is a stability between both. For Work-Life Balance, it is mandatory to have our minds stable in our professional life as well as personal life. Sometimes it might be a 50-50 situation while sometimes the stability can even be in slightly lesser ratios as well.
Let us discuss this in detail.
Research suggests that over 60% of the general population, be it salaried employees or businessmen and women, go through misbalanced work-life crises and stress themselves in their respective personal and professional life.
Here, work-life can be defined as ambitions, professional goals, professional growth, etc.
Whereas personal life can be defined as physical and mental health, pleasure, leisure, family time, and in some cases spiritual growth.
What is A Good Work-Life Balance?
A healthy and balanced work-life might mean different things to different people.
Here, a healthy work-life balance does not mean that split your time 50/50 between work and personal life but making sure you feel fulfilled and content in both areas of your life.
A healthy balance might look like this:
- You are efficient at work, meeting all deadlines, and still, you can give time to your hobbies.
- You give proper time to sleep and eat with peace of mind.
- When you are at home or on vacation, you do not have to worry about work.
- You play with kids, spend time with your spouse and speak to your parents as and when required.
This is not all goodie goodie when you have a demanding job or a challenging boss but still, you can manage the above.
How Do I Know If My Work-life Balance Is Unhealthy?
There can be many things, but first and foremost is how often you feel negative emotions when you start your work, because you could not have a proper sleep the last night or due to long working hours from the last day.
The global economic crisis and increasing tech advancement have also created the fear of missing out (FOMO) in professionals. They feel like if they don’t skill up, they might lose their job and hence they start upskilling themselves on weekends and after work.
International expansion and working in other time zones among professionals due to business expansion and business requirements often get their sleep cycle disturbed. this may even impact their lives on the weekends.
Okay, I fall into an unhealthy work-life balance, what should I do to improve the same?
It is normal to work long hours and be under stress, especially due to your work demands. But if you continue it without a check for a long time, it might become a habit. Once this habit is formed it will be tough to break the cycle as you have fallen into it for years unless you decide to take a step back and reflect upon it.
If you are already into this trap, you can try the following
Pause and Reflect
Ask yourself what is causing me stress.
How is it impacting my personal and work life?
How am I feeling?
Once you have reflected, ask yourself what needs to be changed.
Prioritize Things – The things that need to be changed, put them on top of priority, and start working on them. Be it in professional life or personal life
Act, do not procrastinate- If you procrastinate, things might never happen. Act as per priority.
Know your rights at work and learn to say “No” wherever you feel that it will impact your mental health.
Other Important Tips:
- Take proper breaks at work.
- Hydrate yourself well during breaks.
- Plan your physical training and meditation.
- Improve your productivity by using the Pomodoro technique.
Right from the beginning acknowledge your emotions and do not drag until it reaches the threshold. This makes you feel burnt out. Know your rights and speak up at work.
This will at least give your mind clarity of thoughts. Circumstances may change constantly but following the above tips may help you achieve a balanced work life.
Author Shashank Lalwani (INFS Faculty)
