New year, new goals and priorities. A popular realization among professionals in 2024 is the need for a better work-life balance. In fact, 72% of workers believe work-life balance is an important factor when choosing a job, and 57% of job-seekers say a poor work-life balance is a dealbreaker when they’re considering a new job.
Work-life balance can be defined as one’s ability to achieve job goals and responsibilities to be satisfied in personal aspects of life. Employees can measure work-life balance by how well they manage work about how much they value their private lives and desires.
Simply put, work-life balance is “a state of equilibrium which the demands of both a person’s job and personal life are equal.” Although this state of equilibrium is one employees often strive for, employers attempt to find the same balance while also helping employees achieve a balance of their own. Everyone battles with finding a work-life balance. For many, it is a learning curve that spans a career. Employees and leaders tend to struggle with work-life balance because investing in work creates opportunities for personal life and allows families to achieve healthy personal lives, yet sometimes we invest too much into work which causes important parts of our personal lives to diminish.
It can be challenging to recognize whether our work and life are balanced. It is easy, especially as a new business owner, to let work overpower our personal life until we slowly recognize a need for change. Here are some signs and symptoms that you may be experiencing an unbalanced work-life:
We can experience an unbalanced work-life balance due to different pressures and causes. Sometimes we experience changes in our job, whether that is expanding your business, taking on more responsibility or added expenses at work without adjusted pay. We might take on bigger projects or start working more hours. On the other end, we might experience changes at home or in our personal lives that put more stress on our lives and work such as gaining more responsibility at home, having children, or experiencing grief or hardships.
In general, a balanced life protects our happiness. It lowers our stress and the potential for burnout. We also experience fewer health issues when we have a good work-life balance, including less pain and injury.
Balancing work and life also allows for a more efficient, enjoyable, and successful workplace.
When life and work become unbalanced, we can be faced with serious risks. People who have an unbalanced work-life are 33% more likely to develop a heart disease. In fact, working just three more hours of overtime increases the risk of heart disease by 60%. Folks with poor work-life balance are also 42% more likely to develop mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. An unbalanced work-life follows us through our lifetime and can shorten it; people with unbalanced work lives are 23% more likely to have a premature death.
A “good” work-life balance means something different for everyone. Here are some signs that can help us pinpoint whether or not we are achieving a balance that serves us well:
Like a habit, work-life balance needs consistency and maintenance to succeed in the long term. Consider and try the following when analyzing and adjusting your work-life balance.
GettaMeeting has multiple meeting modules to help you and your team learn and practice how to better manage your personal time and time at work. Check out GettaMeeting’s meeting module “Improve Time Management: Rapid Refocus” and others at gettameeting.com
6. Don’t be afraid to take many breaks. Consistently taking short breaks throughout the day helps us avoid workaholism, feel refreshed and motivated, and recalibrate.
7. Prioritize tasks to avoid overworking on smaller, less significant tasks.
8. Create a clear separation between work and home if you work remotely. Work in a different room than the one you relax in or put all of your work tools away and out of sight after work.
Just as employees can take steps to ensure a healthy work-life balance, employers can work to create a balance for themselves while giving their employees the tools to create a healthy balance as a team. Here are some ideas for leadership and how they can help their team achieve work-life balance:
When balancing work and life, our “resources” are limited, meaning we cannot give our all to everything. Therefore, prioritizing what we give our resources to is essential in creating a balanced work-life. Sometimes we give too many of our resources to work, which leads us to struggle with home duties and relationships. Similarly, when we invest too much energy into personal endeavors, we struggle to perform well at work.
Practicing mindfulness is key to managing stress and avoiding an unbalance in work or life. Be aware of what drains you, how you’re using your energy, and how you are spending your time. Take breaks often to avoid burnout and practice staying present. Breaks are also good opportunities to change your plans and update schedules to reflect a better balance as work and life change throughout the day and week.
It is also important to embrace flexibility instead of relying on rigidity. Learning to be flexible helps us tend to work and life more equally and find more comfortable ways to fulfill our obligations. If your work provides more flexible hours or policies, figure out how you can best use the flexibility to build a better work-life balance.
As always, open communication solves many of our stress issues and makes us feel more secure and confident in our job. Check in often and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback or advice if you discover a stress point at work.
