Since so many of my clients work demanding, senior-level jobs that require they be available well past 5 or 6 pm, I suspect this guest post by Sean Morris of LearnFit.org on the the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance will be appreciated by many of my readers. Enjoy — and take note of the tips for putting balance back into your life…
Thanks to modern technology, social media, and the general transition of modern work, the average individual’s work life has changed as well. In this day and age it is quite easy to work too hard and too much. There is a big demand to work harder than ever before to make a good impression and to be more successful in the workplace.
If you’ve noticed yourself dedicating too much time, thought, and energy to your work, then it is time to consider creating balance in your life. Allowing imbalance to occur can create consequences shortly afterwards. For example:
- 60% of people who admit to being a workaholic said they spend 20 minutes or less eating lunch every day
- 1 out of 4 people who say they are a workaholic will not leave their desk for lunch or to take breaks during the day
- 75% of workaholics say that they eat lunch at their desk at least 3 times per week
- A study in the Netherlands showed that 33% of workaholics have regular migraine headaches because of their jobs
- 3% of workaholics feel physically ill when they are not at work, mimicking withdrawal symptoms that are associated with addictive drugs
- The divorce rate in relationships where at least one person is classified as a workaholic is 55%
- People who work 11 hours a day or more have a 67% greater chance of suffering from coronary heart disease when compared to those who work a typical 8-hour day
- Anyone working 12 or more hours a day is 37% more vulnerable to suffering an injury that is job-related, even in an office environment
How to Put Balance Back into Your Life
Life balance is important. It has recently been discovered that maintaining a healthy life balance in our day-to-day lives is not only essential for overall happiness and well-being, but can be a tremendous boost to our productivity and career success as well.
Life balance is all about effective time management and achieving one’s goals in an allotted time. You never want to go overboard in any given area (work or otherwise). A well-balanced person has a far greater ability to focus their attention, energy, and mind on attaining their own goals.
Listed below are just a few tips on how to put balance back in your life:
- Leave work at work
When you are at work, by all means make those targets and achieve those goals! But when you get home put the phone on silent and turn off the computer. Spend what time you have before bed to interact with your family or pursue a hobby instead.
- Trim down the unnecessary
Make it a point to get really good at saying no. You will never truly excel at any one thing if you are trying to tackle a lot of different things at once. It’s better to complete three or four projects with glamorous results in one week than complete five or six that don’t stand up to your expectations.
- Pay attention to your health
Too often do we sacrifice a good diet, enough sleep, and exercise to be more productive at work. In fact, these three things are usually the first to go. Contrarily, having a good sleep schedule, maintaining a regular fitness routine, and taking the time to eat right will energize you to work more efficiently.
- Find happiness and joy in your relationships
Another thing that tends to happen when one has an imbalance in their life is that their relationships start to suffer. It’s important to spend time with your family and friends, even if it seems difficult to fit into your schedule. It’s something that time should be made for. You will be more energized and productive at work if you do, thanks to the positive influence of your relationships.
- Expand upon your own knowledge
Who wants to do the exact same task over and over again for years? This is the epitome of imbalance. Pure and uninhibited life balance would be perfectly manifested through a life that was always improving and aiming to achieve greater rewards. But how can you do this if you don’t change your position in your career every few years? One step to creating balance in your life is to expand on your own knowledge and education. Maybe it’s with a hobby or your own professional field. Always be on the lookout for ways to learn more and gain more insight so that you are able to excel in different areas.
It’s easy to fall into the concept that all you need to do to be more successful and achieve more goals is to work more. This is not the case. This is how one becomes a workaholic. True success and happiness comes from joy in all aspects of life, and this can only be achieved by creating proper balance for yourself.
Sean Morris is a former social worker turned stay-at-home dad. He knows what it’s like to juggle family and career. He did it for years until deciding to become a stay-at-home dad after the birth of his son. Though he loved his career in social work, he has found this additional time with his kids to be the most rewarding experience of his life. He began writing for LearnFit.org to share his experiences and to help guide anyone struggling to find the best path for their life, career, and/or family.
Image: Pixabay by PublicDomainPictures
Balancing act is always a hard one. But with so much pressure on companies to get things done fast its not as surprise that people are struggling with balancing work and their personal lives. We’ve covered some tips in general in one of our article. Do check out 10 tips to achieve work life balance.
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