As we are all urged to work harder and longer, achieving the right work/life balance becomes ever more difficult. We spend so much time in our working environment that it’s essential to enjoy life to the full when we’re not putting in the hours in the workplace.
Many of us work full-time hours, typically 40 hours a week but the traditional Monday to Friday, 9-5 now applies to fewer of us. With flexible working and an ever-changing job market, more of us now have two or even three jobs, working a variety of hours over 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
So how, in such a fast-paced and pressured situation, do you ensure you still get quality time with loved ones, to enjoy your hobbies and pastimes and just to unwind? Well, it’s important to say that there’s no one size fits all solution – each individual will feel differently about what they need and want for a good work/life balance.
Some will insist they don’t need a break and that they thrive on the long hours and the stresses of the workplace. And while that might be true for a very few, it’s also true that everyone needs time to switch off and to recharge their batteries so they return to their everyday life refreshed, rejuvenated and re-energised.
Spend too much time at work and not enough nurturing personal relationships and you run the risk of burnout, physically, emotionally and mentally. Rest and recreation isn’t simply about physical relaxation, it’s also about allowing you to leave stresses behind and to give your mind time to relax and recover.
Accept that a happy, relaxed and comfortable you will perform much better in the workplace, too – and that’s more likely to impress your bosses than a stressed-out employee who never leaves their desk. Achieving a good work/life balance allows you to recognise prioritise work better, handle stress more effectively and recognise when it’s time to switch off the Blackberry.
Carve out quality time for you so you get to be with the people who are important to you. And if you find that your workload makes that impossible, perhaps it’s time to consider a job switch that will give you the work/life balance that will make you happy.
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