Theme:-
In India around 75% of people are not able to manage their personal life as well as their professional life.
“Invest in your work life balance, time with friends and family is as important as time at work”.
What is Work life balance?
It is a state of balance between one’s professional life and personal life. Where a person equally prioritizes his personal life as well as his one’s career.
When creating a schedule that works for you, think about the best way to achieve balance at work and in your personal life. Work-life balance is less about dividing the hours in your day evenly between work and personal life and, instead, is more about having the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to enjoy your personal life.
Major reasons for an unbalanced work life are stress, longer working hours, increased responsibilities, and many more.
Why is it important:-
According to the recent work survey of 2019 by Mavenlink, it is noted that 62% of the respondents consider work-life balance as a crucial aspect of a company’s culture.
- Higher efficiency and productivity:- When you have enough time for work and enjoyment, your deals and projects can run smoothly and you will be more stress-free and focused.
- Lowered absenteeism, sickness and stress:-long working hours can lead to stress and burnout, but they can be minimized by having a proper schedule.
- Career Advancement:- By giving enough time to self-improvement, enough sleep, and exercise will help a person to fully present a work physically and mentally.
- More Creativity:-when the work life is balanced, ideas flow more and solutions for the problem hits quickly.
- Happiness:- Your attitude, contentment, and confidence will significantly increase and it leads to “I CAN DO” which gives a sense of happiness and satisfaction.
Ways to achieve a healthy work life balance:-
- Use your PTO(Paid time off leave):-There must be boundaries set between work time and time off. In the US around 55% of American workers don’t use their PTO because of their workload, but every person needs to take time to recharge to become more creative and better.
- Find the right company culture:- One must look for a job with a flexible working schedule, monetary and non-monetary benefits, a remote workplace, and employee engagement activities.
- Do what you love:– find a job that matches your passion so you’ll be ultimately happier with work and life.
- Take breaks while working:- According to the survey, after working for 52 minutes you must take a break of 10 minutes to refresh and re-engage your brain in work without losing focus.
- Prioritizing tasks:- Better planning leads to effective outcomes which help in unnecessary time delays and reduced stress.
Common myths of work life balance:-
- Working for more hours leads to fostering productivity:-When you are given a long time to complete a task, the brain estimates it as a huge task which leads to overthinking and procrastination
- Example:- University assignments that are given 3 months of submission seem harder to us and we often start procrastinating.
- Life needs to be compartmentalized:-It generally means dividing your 24 hours into 8-8-8- hours blocks i.e., 8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, and 8 hours for social activities but it’s not realistic. Instead, you must devote the right amount of time to your current priorities.
- Technology will save you time:- Technology can only assist you. you need to put right effort and stay away from distractions to achieve your targets.
- Work should always be done in the office:-Statistical data shows 69% of workers are more comfortable and productive in working from home. Research by CIPD shows flexible working hours lead to an increase in the productivity and efficiency of workers. Being a 9-5 slave is an old thought.
Conclusion:
Achieving Work-life balance cannot be regarded as myth but a essential element for well being and growth. By achieving this balance leads to reduced stress, greater happiness and higher productivity. To achieve work-life balance you must take regular intervals, prioritize tasks, and find the right company culture. “Invest in your work-life balance, time with friends and family is as important as time at work.” – By Stephen Gillett.