How to Have a Work-Life Balance in the Modern Workplace
Working and living are deeply connected: we need the job to support our lifestyles. But our personal lives do not fall into neat schedules outside the classic 9-to 5 work timetable. Almost half of workers in Canada, for example, handle personal matters during work hours.
By the same token, more workers are attending to business outside office hours. Technology has aggravated the issue with its ability to keep us constantly connected. The millennial demographic in particular is always “on, responding to emails and checking in during off-hours or vacation. In the US, over half of millennials perform work tasks after-hours, and many feel guilty about taking their vacation time.
So how do we achieve a work-life balance, and what does that mean within the modernized workplace?
Don’t Sweat for Perfection
Finding a work-life balance has become a new source of stress in our daily lives. Can we do it? Are we failing ourselves if we can’t? The obvious answer is no. We can't do it all, but more importantly, we aren’t failing, either.
Life happens. Work happens. Neither goes according to plan. Emergencies come up, and tasks take longer than expected. Accepting this reality will go a long way to reducing stress and
guilt, both in the workplace and at home.
A good measure to keep in mind is the Pareto principle, also known as the “80/20” rule. In general, 80% of your results are produced by 20% of your resources. Take advantage of this idea to focus on the big picture.
In work-life balance terms, time becomes the 20% resource that will get you to that 80% accomplishment of tasks. Organizing yourself to perform the important things with your limited time will go a long way to getting most things done.
Don’t be afraid to schedule things or set limits. Limiting your email time at night is no different than limiting your personal calls at work. If you place just as much importance on scheduling something fun as you do blocking out an hour for a meeting, you are starting to practice good work-life balance.
It’s Not a Competition
Don’t set yourself up for failure by comparing yourself to others. Most people are struggling with work and home as much as you are. It might not seem that way, but remember, those pictures on social media of your friends and colleagues having it all are just snapshots in time. You have no idea whether they had to struggle to get there and you shouldn’t bother thinking about it. Your own balance is the issue, not theirs.
At the end of the day, all you need to worry about is that you address your balance as best you can. Allow your schedule – and yourself – to have flexibility. Though there will likely be bumps along the road and points of imbalance, being able to go with the flow and adjust accordingly will help you remain more consistent. When you figure out what fulfills you most in life and work, striking the right balance in today’s workplace becomes much easier to comprehend and achieve.
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