If you follow my socials, especially Instagram (follow me @jane_devos), you will have seen that my feed is all about two things (well, three really if you count my well-documented coffee consumption), but the main focus is on motivation and work life balance. A commonly upheld belief if that as a self-employed person you get to ditch the 9 to 5 in exchange for more time to do the things you enjoy away from your business. The truth is quite different. Tech keeps us connected 24-7 and the passion that drives us to start up our own venture often translates into an inability to let go, switch off or prioritise our own well-being.
Sadly, the thing I’m seeing more and more these days is people hitting the burn-out stage before they start to take action to improve their work life balance. For me, a healthy work life balance is an essential part of running a sustainable business. It’s not easy. It takes effort to put the right boundaries in place and discipline to keep it up. The good news is that once you form these healthy habits you never look back.
Are you becoming a workaholic?
The compounding stress of not being able to switch off is damaging to relationships, your health and your own happiness. So how do you get the balance right? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, overworked and in need of a change for the better, please read on for my 5 essential but healthy habits to achieve a healthier work life balance. Even if you do just a couple of them you will be on the right track. Good luck!
- Learn to let go of perfectionism
Ever heard the saying ‘good enough is good enough’? Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that not everything needs to be perfect and that getting a job done is better and more productive towards our goals. Many overachievers have perfectionist tendencies so it’s a trait I see a lot in my consultancy work. Try getting into the habit of setting yourself a time limit for certain tasks and adjust how you tackle it to make sure you complete it in the time you’ve given yourself. Literally set a timer, either on your phone or an alarm and stop when the time is up. You can always come back to it when time allows.
If you’re still struggling, you might want to consider outsourcing some of your to-do list. Make sure you check out my blog ‘How to bin the fear and delegate effectively’ if this is you.
2. Set yourself some rules
If your work life balance has gone out of the window, I bet you £100 that you’re working into the night, always replying to emails out of hours and never turning your phone off. Am I right? If you’ve always done this then the expectation is there to continue doing the same. It’s time to set some boundaries and communicate them to your customers and your team. Be clear on why you’re doing it. By re-setting healthy expectations you’ll create a culture that shows you support better work life balance for all.
Maybe you’re managing to log-off from work but you’re spending your evenings scrolling on social media? One really healthy habit is to have a set time each night when you physically turn your phone off for the night. That’s it – turn it OFF! Give yourself an hour of screen-free time to calm your mind and get ready for sleep. If you really can’t face turning it off completely, silence your notifications until the morning at least. You can do this for each individual app in the settings of your phone.
3. Prioritise exercise
Simple and effective this one. About a year ago I started prioritising exercise as the first thing in my day and it has made an AMAZING difference to my physical and mental health, even if it’s just a brisk walk or some yoga in the living room. PLEASE DO THIS, even if you don’t do any of the other tips I’ve written about here. It’s the fast-track way to better work life balance and you’ll feel all the benefits in just a couple of weeks.
4. Build in time for breaks during your day, week and year
Sounds simple but how many of us promise to take a proper lunch break then end up working through it. If you’ve not got someone telling you when to take a break you need to schedule it in for yourself. Block time in your diary each day for lunch, each week for a healthy activity away from your desk, and of course, time for getting away for a stretch of time a couple of weeks a year. I’ve made a promise to myself to take two weeks in the summer and two weeks in the winter, so I know in advance that I need to plan work around that as non-negotiable down-time.
5. Start tracking the peaks and troughs of your productivity
Everyone has a natural rhythm of when they’re most productive each day. Start taking note of when these times are and plan your workload to fit. The same goes for monthly cycles if you’re a woman. Start to be aware of how some weeks are for doing and others for conserving energy. You can check out this amazing article on how women can use their monthly cycles as a productivity tool written by Alexandra Mysoor, for more info. It’s enlightening!
I hope you found these suggestions helpful. Remember, work life balance means something different for everyone. Find what works for you and stick to it for a few weeks to see how it affects you.
If you need some help making changes but you’re not sure where to start, please book in for a virtual coffee with me. A problem shared is a problem halved!
