The concept of work-life balance often seems so distant that we view it as a dream and not a reality. It’s not surprising in the current economy: many people take on more work, while others feel they cannot stop procrastinating and putting off obligations. There’s a reason for that: more than one team at the Liven app reviews user feedback regularly and has come up with a few discoveries. The reality is that many individuals don’t get enough rest, which means they aren’t present at work. Improving your work-life flow isn’t difficult; it actually requires focus and commitment — to set boundaries, protect your needs, and invest your 100% in what matters. This article explores a few practical tips that can help you get started.
Direct Your Energy
One of the best ways to have more fulfilling results in both your work and free time is to listen to how your energy flows. For example, you might have taken a Procrastination test and, after answering the questions, realized that you get exhausted by around 3 PM. But if you keep working after that, it’s natural that you don’t have the same level of energy.
Instead of trying to always be productive or force yourself to rest when you want to be active, observe yourself for a week or two — it should be an ordinary week, without overworking or holidays. Write down how your energy feels for each hour or two. It can be something like this:
Monday:
- 8 AM – 9 AM: Groggy.
- … 11 AM – 12 PM: Active.
After some time, you’ll see the tendency. Add some biological or emotional cues for a better insight. Organize your resting and active hours around these energy spikes or drops.
Set Expectations
A lot of imbalance between our work and life comes from others not understanding our boundaries or pushing against them. This includes both our free and professional time. When we start setting boundaries that we actually communicate well, the pressure we experienced before can significantly reduce.
Many people find it easier to start by setting expectations with their managers and colleagues. While it’s easier to do so in a new position, it doesn’t mean you cannot change previous behaviors. For instance, if you were previously answering emails after your shift, you can stop doing so even within a week. If others ask you about why it is happening, you may (but don’t have to) explain that you are rebalancing your lifestyle. The same applies to any other mismatches you are experiencing.
If your family members, friends, or a partner tries to distract you during working hours, you can gently tell them that you will return to them after your shift ends. It can be turning the phone to airplane mode or locking your room if you work from home. If they feel like you don’t have time for them, it’s time for the strategy below.
Commit to Both Sides
We’ve briefly mentioned it at the beginning of the article, but there’s a cycle we often don’t notice. It can be one of the situations in which this dilemma affects how others see us and whether they feel we dedicate ourselves to what is important.
- We overwork.
- We don’t have enough time for rest.
- We return to work, trying to steal some time here and there for additional rest.
- We don’t have enough time to finish our job-related tasks and have less free time.
While this cycle began at some point, we can pull back and shift this habit. Usually, when we really invest our focus into our work and put our best into our rest, the quality of both improves.
Of course, there are workplaces where the job never ends, but for those of us who get distracted and procrastinate rather than working, this can actually work. Plus, our loved ones will see us prioritizing them and that all of our attention is on them.
Move From 50/50 to Values
Just as with a lot of things in life, the relationship between work and life isn’t always 50/50. There may be months when we work harder than usual, and there may also be times when we don’t stay fully “there” in our job.
Take some time to reflect on your values and what you need and want to do. We have different periods in life, and our balance can look different in each of them. By responding mindfully to various seasons of your life, you have a more realistic view of this flow.
However, analyzing your values can also suddenly lead you to realize that you aren’t doing what you want to. This can be uncomfortable, but it’s the push we may need to reorganize our lifestyle.
Create Small Moments of Recovery
While it can be daunting to work 8 hours without many breaks, breaking time into more manageable chunks and introducing short rest periods can give you a greater sense of control over your life. Plus, it often gets more motivating.
Picture this as a Pomodoro technique for your day — in fact, some people can even apply this timing to their shifts. If not, it doesn’t mean you cannot support this balance during the day by:
- Stretching
- Deep breaths
- Short walk around the office
- Stepping outside
- Emotional check-in
- Playing a phone game for five minutes.
We can carve out these moments based on what we prefer and what our work environment is.
Conclusion
Of course, navigating through real-life situations rather than hypotheticals is more difficult. But when our priorities and habits are settled, we no longer just go through the motions to get through the day. Things seem brighter, and we might even notice the old interests returning and relationships strengthening. And it’s the finish line that’s definitely worth reaching.
