Keeping your personal and professional lives in balance can be difficult, but it's imperative. Here are some suggestions for today's work-life balance.
Get a clear understanding of the benefits of work-life balance before you give up on your dream. Because in order to lead a balanced life, one must comprehend the reasons why work-life balance is crucial.
And it's more important than ever to strike a balance between work and life. Particularly in light of the unpredictable, frequently stressful work environment and the further blurring of personal and professional boundaries (now that so many of us are working from home more often)
What You Must Understand(To Create A More Balanced Lifestyle)
You must first comprehend why work-life balance is crucial if you want to build a more balanced life. because making something you don't understand is challenging. A word of caution: adopting a more balanced lifestyle is challenging. It calls for you to:
- Prioritize what’s truly important (and drop the rest),
- Take control over your career path, and
- Simplify your life.
Making difficult decisions while engaging in these activities necessitates courage, mental toughness, and resilience. Your mind needs to understand WHY in order for it to be willing to make these difficult decisions, I've discovered. in order for it to fully embrace (both consciously and subconsciously). It is what will motivate you to take courageous action.
Why Everyone Should Strike a Balance Between Work and Life?
Before we go over all the reasons why work-life balance is crucial, I want to be clear about who it is for. Because most people, in my experience, believe that only (or primarily) women desire it.
However, that is untrue. I've discovered that men place equal value on balance with women. The language they use is what makes a difference.
Women frequently discuss finding balance and living fulfilling lives. Men discuss making an impact (at work and in their family's lives) and finding time for their priorities.
Men and women are expressing the same ideas when you dig deeper into what they mean (just using a bit different language). Everyone can find balance.
Reasons to Value Work-Life Balance
Let's go over the top reasons why work-life balance is crucial now that we are clear on what it is (and isn't) and who it is for?
■ Work Life Balance Means Less Stress
According to estimates, workplace stress is the fifth leading cause of death in the US. Furthermore, a quarter of Americans say that their jobs are the biggest source of stress in their lives.
The main issue is that the majority of people believe they have no other options. That's not really true, though. Keep in mind that your decisions ultimately determine the work-life balance you have. Additionally, that is a major contributor to your stress. You put yourself under more stress when you agree to take on more work than you can handle or when you refuse to delegate tasks that can be delegated.
You could start making some of the following decisions for yourself to significantly reduce your stress and anxiety:
- Saying no to things that aren’t priorities.
- Delegating as much as can be delegated.
- Choosing to do things that are priorities (and letting go of non-priorities).
- Prioritizing your own wellbeing.
The end result is a more manageable workload and more time doing the things that are important to you. That’s going to greatly decrease your stress and anxiety levels.
■ Work Life Balance Will Improve Your Mental Health
Your mental health is one of the key factors in the importance of work-life balance. You're better able to handle unfavourable feelings and thoughts when you feel balanced.
The human brain is not designed to constantly feel pressured and under stress. Your life will become more balanced as a result, giving you time to breathe and allow your subconscious to come to the surface. And that's good for your mental health because it enables you to increase your self-awareness (around the beliefs and thoughts that underlie charged emotions) so you can deal with them effectively. Which translates to making wiser decisions.
■ Having Balance Means Better Physical Health
Taking care of your physical health is part of finding balance for yourself. Yes, that does indeed include things like:
- Eating healthy meals,
- Reducing sugar and alcohol intake,
- Healthy sleep habits,
- Regular exercise.
But there’s actually more to it than that. How you live and work is making things much worse for your body (it’s actually a societal problem, not a personal thing).
The Issue with a Demanding, Busy Career
Because of your exhaustion and stress, if you're like most professionals, you spend most of the day tethered to your desk and your evenings glued to your couch (while drinking a glass or two of wine to take the edge off). Am I correct?
This means that you spend most of your time sitting, barely ever moving, and indoors. And you're dealing with your stress by drinking alcohol (which, while not always a big deal, isn't a healthy way to deal with stress).
The truth is that sitting is not something that humans are designed to do. They are not intended to be kept inside. You should get up, move around, and go outside!
■ Work Life Balance Enhances Your Ability to Be Present
The inability of new clients to be present is one of the main complaints I hear from them (both at home and at work). This is how that appears:
Your mind seems to be constantly active, racing, and jumbled with ideas that are occasionally challenging to understand.
Always considering work while spending time with family and friends (which then leads you to constantly check email).
worrying about personal matters while trying to work (such as the laundry that is always a mess, the argument you had with your spouse this morning, or how guilty you feel for missing your child's piano recital the other night).
If this hits a chord for you, then listen up (because it’s what I believe to be one of the biggest reasons why work life balance is important): your brain can be trained to be present. And you rewire your mind through consistent use of specific mindfulness practices.
How Mindfulness Creates Internal Balance?
Mindful awareness will help you to be:
- more attuned to people’s emotions and feelings;
- better at responding to people intuitively (which will positively affect your relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and even clients);
- aware of the good around you (and not just focused on the bad).
■ Being Balanced Improves Your Relationships
Spending less time with those you love means working too much. However, it also means spending less time with them in-depth. Being worn out and overburdened makes it challenging to be present and give others your full attention.
More quality time spent with family and friends results from leading a balanced lifestyle. Just consider the impact on your relationships. Also, consider how that will impact your outlook (both generally and within your career).
You'll feel a positive ripple effect that will improve your outlook on life, work, and even your professional relationships.
Why Your Happiness Relies on Connection
People aren't connecting with each other and relating to each other enough these days. People are overworked (and allowing technology to get in the way of real human connection).
A balanced lifestyle necessitates forging strong bonds with others (and not just family, but colleagues and friends too). With these connections, your life will have more meaning. Additionally, you'll sense a stronger connection to your work (in a meaningful way).
■ A Balanced Lifestyle Increases Engagement At Work
Employees are more likely to be devoted and engaged when they are content and motivated in their work. It takes commitment to feel engaged and give your all to a task. Employees who are engaged in their work are invested in, enthusiastic about, and dedicated to it.
However, only about 34% of American workers are engaged, per Gallup.
Many employers hold the mistaken belief that incentives or pressure can increase engagement. Even though it may (sort of) work in the short run, this ultimately leads to stress, anxiety, and resentment. That doesn't exactly promote sustained engagement or morale.
Employees who are less stressed, in good mental and physical health, and who feel a sense of community at work are more likely to be inspired to work harder.
■ Work Life Balance Increases Creative Thinking
You may have heard me say it before, but it bears repeating: your brain requires room to think. It's not intended to be continuously barraged with interactions from people, social media, emails, phone calls, and texts.
You also NEED room to think clearly and creatively.
Have you ever racked your brain for a solution to a problem and felt stuck? But as soon as you stop worrying about it, a solution magically appears (and you can't believe you didn't see it sooner)? When you have a poor work-life balance, the same things take place.
You cannot think creatively when you are stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious. But clarity and creativity come with balance. Additionally, it means producing better work.
■ Balance Makes You More Productive
Everyone aspires to work more efficiently. In fact, the majority of my clients list this as a goal for coaching.
Contrary to popular belief, using a new time management technique or productivity hack will only provide you with a limited amount of benefits. New tactics won't make much of a difference once you understand how to apply the fundamental formulas for increased productivity and time management.
Bettering your work-life balance is what will CERTAINLY increase your productivity. Consider this: you'll be more alert, present, and focused, and you'll be able to think more lucidly, calmly, and creatively. Additionally, you'll be inspired to put in hard work.
■ Work Life Balance Brings Higher Levels of Success
I have good news if career success is important to you (and you think that finding balance means settling and is antithetical to success). . . A healthy work-life balance will increase your success, not decrease it.
- prioritizing and focusing on what’s most important to you;
- ensuring your own well-being (thereby enabling you to serve others to the best of your ability); and
- being in control of your life.
It's a common misconception that people who want to succeed can't strike a balance. However, that is simply untrue (and it is based on the erroneous belief that striking a work-life balance entails settling). Work-life balance entails building a successful life on YOUR TERMS through:
For these reasons, great leaders understand the importance of work life balance for both themselves and their team.
