FREE INFOGRAPHIC: 6 Tips to achieve a healthy work-life balance

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The battle to achieve a healthy work-life balance is something every adult can relate to and is one of the biggest HR issues in today’s world of work. Whilst being in work is considered to be good for a person’s health, too much work can lead to a build-up of stress causing a detrimental impact on the person’s health and performance. By making your focus primarily on your work, you can risk neglecting vital aspects of your personal lives such as family, relationships or hobbies.

How can you tell?

We all know how hard it can be to switch off from work and take the time to actually appreciate and enjoy your personal life, especially if you are a business owner. It is very easy to get into a routine of working long, unsociable hours and leaving little time for yourself. But how can you tell if your life is off balance?

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We have put together a short checklist of some of the tell-tale signs:

  • Have you given up something you love doing in order to have more time for work?
  • Are you that person who always talks about work in social situations?
  • Do you regularly take your work home with you even beyond your allotted working hours?
  • Do you lose sleep due to over thinking work issues?
  • Do you find yourself constantly checking your phone or emails, just in case something work related comes up?
  • Is your diary too full to make space for personal activities?
  • Do you often work through your lunch break?
  • Have you ever taken annual leave just so you can catch up on work?
  • Has your personality changed recently, with people commenting that you’re irritable and unable to switch off?

What you can do?

A mental health survey recently found that the more hours you spend at work, the more hours outside of work you are likely to spend thinking or worrying about it. So, it is vital that if you feel your life is out of balance, you do something about it. But what can you do about it? Well, there are many solutions to help you gain a good balance:

  • Take proper lunch breaks – Too many people don’t take sufficient breaks at work. Eating at a desk and sitting at a desk all day, every day are common occurrences. Why not get out of the office for a short walk and ensure that you take the time to have a proper, nutritious lunch. You’ll feel much better for it.
  • Exercise regularly – There is solid, scientific evidence that people who are active tend to be less stressed in the workplace. So, get out and enjoy the world around you, go for a cycle, swim, run or walk. Why not join the local gym or running club?
  • Schedule in some downtime – Ensuring you have regular time in your diary to use as you please is a sure fire way to help balance out your work and life. Take time to spend with your family and friends to do things you love away from your place of work.
  • Take regular breaks – Working for long periods of time without a break is not only unhealthy, it can lead to burnout. This increases stress levels which can overflow into your personal life. Taking regular breaks can help to refresh your mind and allow you to be more productive when you come back to your work. Sitting in the same seat, staring at your computer, is bad for your posture and your eyes. If you really don’t have time to take a break from your work then why not mix it up, have walking meetings or stand up whilst taking phone calls.
  • Work smarter – Prioritise your tasks so that you work smarter not longer. Set deadlines and keep to them as much as you can; don’t let yourself be distracted by less productive activities. This will help you avoid too heavy a workload thus avoiding unnecessary workplace stress spilling into your personal life.
  • Leave your work at work – As much as possible, try to avoid taking your work home with you. Keeping your working life and personal life separate is vital to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. If you absolutely have to take your work home with you, ensure you have a space at home designated to working and nothing else.

If you are concerned that yours or your employees’ work-life balance is getting unhealthy, then feel free to give us a call on 01454 808658 or drop us an email on hello@wearePES.co.uk and one of our team will be happy to talk you through how we can help.