Managing your work/life balance

We explore a number of tips that can help you manage your work/life balance.

1. Set boundaries

It’s important to set boundaries between home and work if you want to achieve a positive work/life balance. When you get home from work, immediately change out of your work clothes, then just sit down and take a breather to mentally leave work back at the office. If you come home stressed, take part in an activity you enjoy – this could be reading, listening to music, exercising or talking to friends.

2. Refrain from checking emails in the evening

If you find that you’re constantly working in the evenings, it’s up to you to change it – nobody else. Simply switch your phone off and focus on something else, like a hobby. The more boundaries you set between your home life and work life, the less your coworkers will expect of you after the working day ends. If others know that you check your email at 10pm, they’ll send you an email around 10pm – so don’t!

3. Don’t wear ‘busyness’ as a badge of pride

Sometimes it can feel like powering through our to-do list from when we wake up until we go to bed is a must. But if we constantly do this, all it will do is drain us of energy. Even taking a five to 10 minute break every so often to gather our thoughts can help.

4. Part-timers – Don’t feel pressured to reply to emails on your days off

Although part-time work can fit in with your home life, you need to be able to manage your work/life balance so it doesn’t become a full-time job for reduced pay. Try to set up boundaries straight away with your coworkers and boss so nobody gets their wires crossed. Make sure you clear up your availability outside of working hours. If you add your working hours to your email signature, it will let external contacts know when you are available to reply.

5. Make a business case for flexi-time

If you are looking to propose the idea of flexible working to your employer, you need to back it up with reasons why it will benefit them. Perhaps you have a long commute and that time could be spent doing something more productive, or the reduction in office overheads could save the business money. Just remember that flexible working isn’t an excuse to do less, it’s a way to start a more productive way of working.