When juggling the responsibilities of work and personal life, it can get difficult to draw a line between both. Maintaining a work-life balance looks like balancing the time spent on work with the time spent with loved ones and also time spent taking care of ourselves. This balance is essential because it helps us maintain our relationships with loved ones and helps us avoid
mental exhaustion from pouring ourselves into our work.

While we may think that working too much helps us reach our goals, it can actually have the opposite effect on us as it can negatively impact our productivity and also harm our personal life.

Signs of a poor work-life balance:

• You don’t take time off even when you’re sick
• You unintentionally isolate yourself from friends and family
• You experience extreme burnout
• You constantly think about work and feel like you’re not doing enough

How to balance maintaining a work-life balance:

1.Set boundaries

Learning how to say no to extra longer hours at work that come at the expense of time with family and friends is essential to maintain a work-life balance. Not just rejecting longer work hours, but also not answering emails after working hours to stay present with people you love. These boundaries must be communicated with coworkers in order to avoid fallouts and tension. For example, if someone asks to schedule a meeting during your lunch break, rather than agreeing to the meeting to get the task done, you should honor the time that you have to rest by scheduling it to another time. This will make coworkers understand that you value your time of rest.

2.Identify your priorities

People tend to prioritize different things, and you need to identify your priorities. Ask yourself what your priorities are and manage your time accordingly. If your family is a priority, then time must be allocated to them. If your physical health is a priority, then you must also carve out time from your schedule for it. Identifying our priorities helps us understand how much time we will give each area of our lives.

3.Nurture your relationships

Be intentional when it comes to making time in your schedule for people you love. If you’re not mindful of how you spend your time after work, you will find that many of your relationships will suffer. It’s important to rest after work, but If you refuse to join in plans after work, you will isolate yourself from friends and family. Push yourself to say yes to plans that will help you not only maintain current friendships, but also meet new people.

4.Invest in things that you love to do outside of work

Hobbies can be things that are good for your physical and mental health. Exercising and going for walks is an excellent way to nurture both your physical and mental health. Preserving our mental health and cultivating our intellectual wellbeing look a lot like engaging in different hobbies like painting, learning an instrument, or learning a new language. All of these things can positively impact your health and be a source of joy outside of work.

5.Develop healthy habits

Perfectionists and overachievers tend to pour themselves into their work, causing a burnout. Diving too much into our work can sometimes look like neglecting our physical health. Make sure that you’re getting the hours of sleep that your body needs, and that you’re not skipping lunches in order to work. Start small by incorporating healthy habits that help you become productive at work and give you energy to invest in things after work.

Reflection questions:

• Are any of my relationships suffering from my inability to manage my time?
• What are my priorities? How do I want to spend my time?
• What boundaries can I draw that can help me avoid mental exhaustion?