Skip to content
  • Quiz
  • Tools
  • Test
  • Research
  • Blogs
  • More
    Worksheets
    • Thank you Tree
    • Goal Setting
    • View All ->
    Health Conditions
    • Alzheimer’s Disease
    • Gambling Disorder
    • View All ->
    Downloadables
    • Anxiety Level Self-Evaluation
    • Depression Measure
    • View All ->
Menu
  • Quiz
  • Tools
  • Test
  • Research
  • Blogs
  • Worksheets
  • Health Conditions
  • Downloadables

Home » Blogs » Ways to Maintain Healthy Work-Life Balance

  • Self-Help

Ways to Maintain Healthy Work-Life Balance

Reviewed By: Varsha Vartak |
  • Reviewed By: Varsha Vartak
  • Author: admin
  • Published on March 10, 2022
Ways to Maintain Healthy Work-Life Balance
Table of Contents

The old proverb โ€œAll work and no play makes Jack a dull boyโ€ rightly portrays the importance of a balance between work and fun. Overdose of either can have a negative impact on oneโ€™s life as well as health. Despite knowing the term, there is still confusion about work-life balance.

What is Work-Life Balance?

Often when people hear the term โ€˜work-life balanceโ€™, they assume it refers to maintaining a good work life which is only their professional life.On the contrary, work-life balance refers to equally prioritising work as well as personal life.  

The term work-life balance was first addressed in the U.K. in the 80โ€™s when women stirred up a movement for flexible work schedules and maternity leaves. The movement did them little good but it brought a new notion into existence.

Earlier, there was a fine line between work and personal life. Employees were unable to bring their work back home and that provided relief as they returned to their families each evening. Unfortunately, due to the advances in technology, the employees are carrying their work everywhere they go. Which has enabled them to be accessible to their employers as and when required.

Especially during the ongoing pandemic, the trend of ‘work from homeโ€™ has caused personal and professional life to be combined, leaving no distinction between the two. Which has now taken a toll on the individualโ€™s performance as an employee as well as on their personal and family life.

Some of the common reasons that lead to an imbalance in work and life are:

  • Increased responsibilities at work
  • Burden of all the household responsibilities
  • Longer work hours

What are the ways to create Work-Life Balance?

Even if many people know about work-life balance, they do not know how to implement it. Here are some tips around the concept

No perfect balance

The concept of work-life balance is not fixed. Accept that there is no perfect balance. Completing your dayโ€™s task within work hours and spending a jolly time with your family everyday may not be possible. Some days you may work a little extra and some days you may spend more time with children. The bottom line has to be that you are meeting your work requirements and fulfilling your role in family life along with some me-time. 

Do what you love

Holding a job and earning money is a necessity of life. If you have to do it a minimum of five day per week, make sure you are doing something you enjoy. Your work should look forward to it rather than dread it. Doing something you are passionate about helps increase your productivity at work and provides job satisfaction.

work for urself

Health is wealth

Keep in mind that in order to continue working, you have to be in working condition. If your job is causing any negative effects on your physical, emotional or mental health , do not hesitate to take a break and focus on your health first.

Unplug

Stepping out of your office or shutting your laptop is like switching off the work switch. Avoid thinking of emails, clients, meetings, deadlines and agendas once youโ€™re sitting in your living room. Thinking about work during family time or me time will not help complete the task, it will only stress you out and deprive you of an actual personal life.

Your hard work deserves a little pat on the back. This pat on the back may be a day off from work just to relax once in a while or a week long yearly vacation with your family. 

Your work is one of the parts of your life not your complete life and it must be treated likewise.

Set boundaries

Work from home has caused a mix in personal and professional life. Although, it is your decision to set clear boundaries. These boundaries include 

Deciding fixed work hours and sticking by them. 

Not entertaining work calls or emails outside of work hours unless it is an emergency. 

Shutting off from work during your day off and during vacations.

Practising the above will make it easier for you to distinguish between your two lives. 

Focus

While you are engaged in either work or personal life, focus on that particular thing instead of attempting to juggle it all at once. An attempt at juggling may ruin everything youโ€™re trying to accomplish. 

If you find yourself spending more time with your laptop rather than with your family, take the following steps to bring change in your routine.

  • Take a step back and evaluate your work-life balance- is your work consuming the majority of your time?
  • Let your emotions tell you how you are feeling. Are you feeling stressed, burnt out, suffocated?
  • Once you have a clear picture of the effects of overworking on yourself, make a firm decision to break the cycle and bring a balance in your life. 
  • Before you take any concrete steps towards that change, study your options. Does the change require you to alter your work timings? Will you have to speak to your superiors about the burden at work?
  • Only after deciding on the best solution for yourself, go ahead and implement the change.

What can employers do?

Employees can maintain work life balance only if their employers support it. Hence, employers too need to take some measures to help out their employees. Such as:

Flexible work timings

Give the employee the option of choosing their login and logout timings with the rule of working a certain number of hours per day. 

Undisturbed offs and holidays

Avoid contacting the employees for work related matters on their day of and during their vacations, unless it is an emergency. This allows them their personal space and they will return to work with a fresh mind.ย 

holidays

Maintaining timings

Once work timings are decided on, avoid expecting the employees to work overtime. Respect their attention span towards their work. This will help maintain good quality work from the employees.

A well maintained work life balance improves mental and physical health. It keeps stress levels in check. It motivates the employees to achieve their goals. And it minimizes the burnouts. All these factors lead to an increased job satisfaction and a higher level of productivity. 

Read more :

Learn to Say NO Politely

Reacting VS Responding: Difference and Examples

How to Deal with Guilt?

Being Proud of Yourself

Share :

Get the Diagnosis

Public Fear Detector
Unwilling to step out into public? This quiz will help you rate your phobia of crowds and open spaces.
Take Quiz

Get the Diagnosis

Suspiciousness Detector
Are you constantly suspicious about people’s intentions? Feeling that people are conspiring against you? Take the Suspiciousness Detector to test the validity of your beliefs
Take Quiz

Related Read

Loneliness: Causes and Its Impact on Health

Loneliness: Causes and Its Impact on Health

Loneliness: Isolation Amidst A Crowd

Loneliness: Isolation Amidst A Crowd

Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias

Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias

Magic Decoded

Magic Decoded

Table of Contents

Frequently Asked Questions

What are 3 ways to improve work/life balance?

Work-life balance can be improved by

  • Keeping a tab on the amount of time and energy you spend in both those areas
  • Taking necessary breaks from work for your personal life
  • Setting your boundaries between professional and personal life
Why is a healthy work/life balance important?

A healthy work life balance controls your stress levels, minimizes risk of health issues, increases productivity and provides satisfaction.

Does healthy work/life improve performance?

A healthy work life balance increases the individualโ€™sย  productivity at work and provides satisfaction in personal life.

How can work/life balance be improved?

If the work life balance is not maintained, it can be worked on and improved for the individualโ€™s benefit.

References

  1. Ioana Lupu. Mayra Ruiz-Castro. (2021). Work-Life Balance Is A Cycle, Not An Achievement. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/01/work-life-balance-is-a-cycle-not-an-achievementย 
  2. Marisa Sanfilippo. (2021). How To Improve Your Work-Life Balance Today. Business News Daily. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5244-improve-work-life-balance-today.htmlย 
  3. Pavel Kukhnavets. (2021). What Is Work-Life Balance And Why Is IT Important To Encourage It?. Hygger. https://hygger.io/blog/what-is-work-life-balance/ย 
  4. https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/human-resources-hr-terms/7045-work-life-balance.htmlย 
  5. https://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-is-work-life-balanceย 
  6. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/w/work-life-balance

4 Responses

  1. Poker App Showdown - Bet365bet365 poker app says:
    June 4, 2023 at 7:37 pm

    each time i used to read smaller articles that as well clear their motive, and that
    is also happening with this article which I am reading now.

    Log in to Reply
  2. https://carryideas.com says:
    June 14, 2023 at 7:05 am

    A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you ought to write more about this topic, it
    may not be a taboo subject but usually people do not speak about these topics.
    To the next! Cheers!!

    Log in to Reply
  3. happy friday offer 1xbet says:
    June 15, 2023 at 1:31 am

    Greate post. Keep writing such kind of info on your site.
    Im really impressed by your site.
    Hi there, You have done a fantastic job.
    I will certainly digg it and in my opinion suggest to my
    friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.

    Log in to Reply
  4. jackpot party casino free coins says:
    June 15, 2023 at 8:45 pm

    I love what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and reporting!

    Keep up the great works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to
    my blogroll.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Useful Links
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Community
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Community
Resources
  • Blog
  • Quiz
  • Health Conditions
  • Stories
  • Tools
  • Downloadables
  • Challenges
  • Research
  • Newsroom
  • Worksheets
  • Blog
  • Quiz
  • Health Conditions
  • Stories
  • Tools
  • Downloadables
  • Challenges
  • Research
  • Newsroom
  • Worksheets
About Us

Arising from a need to spread awareness about mental health and tackle it with information and the right guidance, Ananda.ai is a passion project that aims to build a more aware and open minded society and to help those in need with assessment tests, blogs, reliable diagnosis, expert advice… More About Us

  • support@ananda.ai
If you are a farmer and in a life threatening situation – Call : +91 91757 57277 | Know More
Accessible mental health for everyone. Anytime, anywhere, with the best online mental health platform in india
  • ยฉ2023 Aarogyaananda Pvt. Ltd.
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund Policy
  • ยฉ2023 Aarogyaananda Pvt. Ltd.
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund Policy
Youtube Instagram Facebook Twitter Linkedin