Healthy work-life balance refers to maintaining a harmonious relationship between your work and personal life. It involves consciously managing your time and energy to meet both professional and personal commitments while prioritizing self-care and well-being.
Just like in our diets, to stay healthy and energized for the long haul, people need variety. When it comes to work-life balance, people need to engage in a variety of activities and rest. We tend to fall into the trap of believing that we can be productive all the time, or that an eight-nine hour day at work equates to eight hours of output. However, that is next to impossible, for many individuals to achieve.
As a sincere and devoted provider for your family, you try to dedicate as much time and effort to your career as you do to your family. However, sometimes “providing” and “success” comes at the cost of family harmony or children’s personal growth. Here are five unique pieces of advice for balancing work and family:
Family dinner as much as possible — with NO phones
Family dinner is a time to gather around the table and collectively disconnect from communicate with each other. This allows you to have dedicated one-on-one time with your children and loved ones to learn about how their day went and is a perfect time to laugh and smile together over some good food. Make a strict NO PHONE rule at dinner, so everyone is present and available to take part in the conversation.
Unplugging is recommended
Shutting down from the digital world/work enables us to live in the moment and recuperate from everyday stresses. It also creates mental space for new ideas and thoughts to develop. Unplugging may be as easy as putting your phone or laptop down at a certain time or practicing meditation.
True disconnection sometimes entails taking holiday leaves and turning off all work for a while. Whether you’re on a one-day staycation or a two-week trip with the family, it’s critical to take time off to manage your physical and mental health. Taking time off might seem impossible, but you can do it. It will bring benefits for both you and your family
Limit nonessential activities
It can be tempting to engage in activities that limit your time to work on more productive tasks without even realizing it, such as checking personal email, browsing social media and browsing the internet. To better prioritize your time at work, consider assessing your daily activities to determine which are least productive. Minimizing how much time you spend on these activities can positively impact your productivity and well-being
Determine core values
Establishing your core values means identifying what’s important in your life. When you understand what you want and enjoy the most, you might find it easier to balance your work and family life. Consider reviewing each aspect of your life and seeing if they contribute to your mission.
Practice healthy habits
Eating healthy, well-balanced meals can help you manage stress by strengthening your immune system, improving your mood and reducing blood pressure. It’s also essential to make sure that you get enough sleep. When you’ve had a stressful day at work, your body needs time to mentally and physically recoup. Getting a good night’s rest can ensure you stay energized and productive. With these strategies, you can improve your mood and productivity, which can help you manage several responsibilities.
Plan and do things in advance.
Work weeks are when most of us tend to be the busiest. By preparing for Monday’s arrival, you can ease the stress of the week ahead. Keep a family calendar posted on the fridge. On Sunday, look at what’s on tap for the week and plan how you are going to manage the week. Where you can, make meals on the weekend and put them in the refrigerator or freezer for a quick reheat on a busy evening. This can be an activity where you can involve and enlist your older children’s help. Before shopping for groceries, get your cookbooks out and make a list of several meals for the following week and make your grocery list from your menu list. After work stress is often more in deciding what to make for supper than in actually making it. If you go home for lunch, do some initial meal preparation then so that it cuts down on your after-work meal prep time.
Make room for couple time.
In the work/home whirlwind, it is easy for two people, while living in the same household, to drift apart. Just as it is important to spend time interacting with your children, it’s important to spend time interacting with your partner. Set aside time for one another. On Friday nights, book a baby-sitter whether you have plans or not. Even if it’s just for an hour when you can get away and go for a walk together.
Be there for the moments.
There will be special moments in your children’s lives that may happen before 5:00 p.m. – a football game, a school concert, a speech. Most employers, managers, clients have families too and understand these family situations. Talk to your boss, explain your need to be there, have a plan in place as to how they can deal with your absence or you can get the job done in another way or at another time. Perhaps you can work with a colleague and spell each other off for those important family occurrences.