A typical workday pulls us in a million directions.
Our boss, colleagues, and employees demand our attention all day long.
Every day is an assault on the senses.
With so many communication platforms, who should we engage with first, and how? Emails, texts, group messages, phone calls, meetings, etc. All before we start doing actual work.
At the end of the day, our energy is so depleted, the rest of our life commitments need to be put on the backburner. You’re barely present at social events. Family time gets less attention than it deserves. Chores and plans to catch up on life get postponed until the weekend.
Saturday rolls around. Some of the things you had put off during the week get done and before you know it you need another weekend to recover.
Sound familiar?
It’s a wonder any of us are still standing.
If you find yourself in some of the following scenarios then it’s time to reassess your work life and make it work better for you:
- Stress is getting the better of you in the workplace
- You’re taking your work stress home with you
- Most days are dominated by overwhelm
- There never seems enough time to get everything done
- You’re getting less done because you have no energy
- You’re struggling to focus on and prioritise your tasks
- Every day when you wake up you dread the day ahead
Below are a few ways you can start to find some work-life balance. Simple tweaks can make a huge difference.
Often what is needed is a mindset shift about what is a reasonable expectation of you at work. This can be what you think others expect from you or the expectations you’re putting on yourself.
It can be difficult to change our working environment, but we can make some big improvements by changing the attitudes we hold within ourselves.
1. Get better at saying no
No! Such a small word with a lot of power.
A word people often associated with appearing rude, aggressive, and letting people down. When said, it can harbor feelings of guilt. When not said, it can result in work overload.
Saying no to your boss or colleagues can be particularly difficult. You might assume they will think you’re rude or uncaring. Maybe you fear they will feel rejected and take offence.
The truth is, their thoughts of you and their feelings about you denying their request, are not in your control. They are not your responsibility.
If you’ve got too much on your plate, your boss should know about it. If you’re in the middle of a task and your colleague needs your attention, they can wait for it.
There are ways to decline respectfully to avoid being met with resistance.
When asked to do something, first consider whether you can do it. Many of us say yes immediately out of habit. If you can’t do it at all, acknowledge their request and tell them it’s not possible for you. If you can’t do it right now, ask for a deadline and arrange a time that is convenient for you. If they see it as a priority, ask them what they think you should cross off your current priority list to get it done.
Laying down your boundaries means the work gets done when it works for you. By saying no or not right now, means you’re demonstrating good time management skills.
2. Stop using busyness as a badge of honour
When did 24hours in the day stop being enough? And when did we start thinking being constantly busy was a desirable state?
I used to be a slave to busyness. I had to feel like I was achieving something all the time. Otherwise, I felt like I was wasting my life. I was unable to relax. I would be constantly on the go until I got ill or couldn’t get out of bed from exhaustion. A major episode of burnout forced me to realise that I’d replaced productivity with busyness.
Busyness is not to be glorified. You know you have issues when being busy is part of your identity or gives you a sense of self-importance.
Sometimes being busy can be a sign you are avoiding something you don’t want to face, usually about yourself.
What are you avoiding by being busy?
Busyness at work can be a sign of trying to prove loyalty and productivity.
The excessively busy person brings an energy that can disrupt the work environment. That colleague who rushes around complaining about how busy they are is generally creating more stress than being productive. If that is you, it’s time you scheduled breaks in your day and focused on prioritising your workload.
3. Prioritise your to-do list
Getting good at prioritising will cut down on unnecessary tasks and up your productivity. The Eisenhower Principle is an effective tool to help you to use your time more effectively.
Ask yourself if each task on your to-do list is urgent or important. If it is urgent, deal with it right away. If it’s important but not urgent, do it after you have completed your urgent tasks. If it’s not urgent or important, either delete it from your task list or delegate it to someone else.
Blocking out time in your diary helps you to prioritise your time. To ensure you complete them, put time in your diary to do each of your urgent and important tasks. A bonus of this is colleagues won’t be able to put meetings in your diary whenever they want to. It will look like you’re busy doing other, more important things, which you are.
4. Ditch striving for perfection
Perfection is a double-edged sword. It can drive you to get things done to a high standard or it can consume you with anxiety.
You might be proud of your attention to detail, but if you’re putting unnecessary pressure on yourself to be meticulous, you’re likely causing yourself extra stress.
When you work from a place of perfection, you’re working from a place of fear and insecurity.
Focus on what’s important rather than trying to be perfect at everything. Perfection can be very time-consuming. Consider how to use your time more wisely. Does that presentation need an extra 2 hours spent on it to make it perfect? Or does it already convey what you want it to say?
Take some of the pressure off yourself. Accept that nobody is perfect. Allow yourself to fail sometimes even, you’d be amazed at how much you will learn and grow.
5. Reduce distractions
Living in the information age is leaving us overloaded. Push notifications, emails, and messages from multiple platforms happen all day long. We feel the need to respond to them straight away to stay on top of them all. This, as well as colleagues interrupting us as we work, can prevent us from getting much done. By the end of the day, it can feel like we’ve achieved nothing.
Prioritising workload over distractions helps you feel more in control of your day. This can be actioned in the following ways:
- When someone makes contact, before you respond, ask yourself — do I need to respond now? Is it urgent? If it’s not urgent, do it later.
- Set designated times to batch check and reply to your emails and messages. One hour in the morning and 30 mins after lunch should be enough.
- Make sure your email communication is clear and precise. Include what you need and when you need it completed to avoid multiple messages going back and forth.
- Outside of batching times, turn off notifications or leave your phone where you can’t see or hear it.
- When colleagues interrupt you with a question, it’s ok to tell them you’re busy and schedule a convenient time to talk.
- Putting headphones on will let colleagues know you’re focussing on work and not up for a chat. Headphones will also prevent you from overhearing conversations that distract your workflow.
6. Delegate
If you have someone to delegate to then make good use of them. Ask someone else to do those tasks that are not on your urgent or important list.
Some people avoid delegating because they fear they’re dumping their work on others. By doing it themselves, they think they can do the work better and have more control. Or, they think they could’ve done it themselves already in the time spent explaining the task.
Delegating takes patience at first, but when implemented well, will give you more time to focus on your more important tasks. It also enables your team, the people you’re delegating to, the chance to learn and grow.
Delegating well means being clear with the outcome you desire. Specify the deadline and give them the support they need to do the task well.
Ensure you’re clear on your boundaries. Tell them when to send the work to you and how. If they have questions or want feedback, specify how and when they should approach you.
Finally, always remember to acknowledge the work they have done after you have signed it off.
In summary
Finding a work-life balance requires doing some work on yourself. Take a good look at your work habits and try out these 6 behaviour changes:
- Get better at saying no
- Stop using busyness as a badge of honour
- Ditch striving for perfection
- Reduce distractions
- Prioritise your workload
- Delegate
Feeling depleted and on your knees at the end of the week is no fun. More importantly, after too long it can seriously impact your health.
Stop letting work rule your life, make it work for you.