How can we do more of the things we love and gain an effective work life balance for ourselves?
As a career and life coach, I have worked with hundreds of clients wanting to achieve a better work life balance. Everyone has their own ideas of what an effective balance means to them. The first step is working out exactly what that means to you. It is often more helpful to see it as a cycle, rather than a fixed idea. Life is changeable and our balance will need to flex accordingly.
Firstly, what are the priority areas which you want to make time for outside of work? They might be childcare, care of someone else, health and wellbeing activities, hobbies, travel and/or family time and socialising with friends. It may be all of these things, or something else. Note down what is important for you and then think about how much time is needed. What are the things you really want to do more of? Is there anything you want to do less of?
The next step is focussing back on your work life. What does this look like at the moment? Think about not only the hours you work, but the effect the role has on you. How do you feel at the end of each working day – what score would you give your energy levels on a scale of 1-10? There is an interesting section on assessing your current work life balance here at Mental Health Foundation.
If you are finding that your job is leaving you tired and lacking energy, there are ways to make changes. Can you take more short breaks throughout the day? Are you able to increase your water and nutritional intake to boost yourself? Perhaps getting more sleep would be helpful. There may also be ways to gain more support in the workplace by talking to your manager or colleagues.
Career change can also be an option to think about if you feel your work life balance needs adjusting. I support people from all backgrounds to explore their options and look at new opportunities to create more happiness and satisfaction in both work and home life.
Personal boundaries are an area which often come up when we look at work life balance. Are you finding it difficult to say no to demands of others, either in work or elsewhere? If you feel that you are being stretched in too many directions, this can cause resentment and stress to build up. Redefining your boundaries and being more assertive can be really helpful in regaining more balance in your life at home and work.
Low confidence and Imposter Syndrome can cause us to lower our boundaries and work longer hours in a drive to work harder and be more effective. Working long hours and feeling pressure can often have the opposite effect and makes us less productive as well as cause health problems. It is often a pattern that repeats itself and can have a detrimental affect on our home life as well as our career. If this is a behaviour you recognise, there are again several options to make changes towards a more positive mindset and ways of working.
If you’d like to have a further chat with me about where you’d like to make changes and how you can get started, head over to my booking page and arrange your free consultation. Work Life balance is often a cycle which needs to be adjusted and reassessed so that we can live happier and more fulfilling lives.