Six Tips for Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

Hey there, everyone. Brendan here, coming at you live (sort of) with another blog. I have to admit, I've used this position to reflect on a few of my own ideas and perceptions on different aspects of work and life in general; it seems only natural to combine those, then! Today I wanted to give a few tips on maintaining a healthy work-life balance, something that can be very difficult in the era of remote work and hustle culture.

Being aware of and holding this balance can help support both your mental and physical health. One of the most interesting bits of scientific literature I found regarding this, and the benefits of such balance in the workplace, is this study involving the NCAA. There are many other studies like this, not to mention the mounds of apocryphal evidence; indeed, I believe it would be difficult to find many people who disagree with this notion. Still, it's worth assessing not only its importance but the effects of neglecting it.

The most common of these are burnout and stress, which can have a cascading effect that compounds them, leading to exhaustion and reduced work performance, if not worse. It's a fact that maintaining this balance benefits both the employee and employer. There are innumerable studies (such as this one) that show the physiological effects of overworking oneself, but there can be further effects that radiate beyond the individual.

It's also well-documented that an imbalance in the work-life dynamic affects personal relationships, be they romantic or platonic, familial or amical. Stress has a tendency, like bad moods in general, to spread out and negatively affect those around it, becoming an unnecessary and often painful burden for those exposed.

Here, then, are a few tips to help avoid those negative outcomes:

1. Planning: Know what needs to be done and when. Do your best to effectively utilize some of the vast array of online productivity tools meant to assist in this; at Nakee we use Asana, which helps in indicating the due dates and completion of various tasks, among other aspects. There are many different platforms like this that can be used personally or implemented into a wider business, and they are very effective for keeping the proverbial wheels turning and helping to reduce stress. 

2. Schedule:This goes beyond knowing what days you're working in a given week and what time your shift starts, though those are certainly important things to know. Particularly when you work from home, it can be difficult to know when work starts and ends, as the physical separation that typically constrains these aspects of life is absent. 
   Set a consistent time for work to end each day if you're doing any kind of WFH, and do your best to adhere to it. On a similar note, if it's something that you plan to be doing consistently, set aside a separate space at home to use for work. On a similar note, creating task lists for yourself can help you feel more fulfilled in addition to ensuring that you don't miss something important.

3. De-Stress: It's easier said than done, of course, but there are many techniques that you can use to reduce your stress levels and try to keep yourself on an even keel. Breathing exercises are a common one, and something that I employ whether working at home or in person. Though it isn't always pleasant, do your best to be aware of your stress and try to assess what's causing it so that the issue can be resolved. This can sometimes involve our next tip...

4. Communication:It's the framework of any dynamic between employee and employer, and is all the more important when working from home. Whether you've never met your boss in person or you see them every day, though, it is critical to make sure that there are consistent and open lines of communication to ensure that expectations are shared and met, and that any confusion can be clarified before it causes real problems. It's better to ask a question when you're uncertain than have to apologize after the fact.

5. Take a Break:It's not always an option, but if you need it and it's available, taking five minutes to engage with some of those earlier-mentioned de-stressing exercises or just to go over what you need to do can help clarify your day and reduce pressure. It's easier to confront a shift when you know what to expect, and that's something that goes for any job; even if it's something out of the routine, knowing that changes are coming can help settle the mind. On a similar note, listening to music during your break (or even during work, if rules permit) has long been proven to be beneficial.

6. Remember That You're Human:It's not abnormal in the slightest to have limits, to set boundaries for the sake of your mental and physical health. Jobs sometime ask more of us than we are capable of giving, and you are not a bad person or employee for holding strong against those demands. You know your limits and capabilities better than anyone; keeping the integrity of your limits is not a form of weakness.

There's honestly so much more that could be said about this topic. It can sometimes be difficult to appreciate the value of work-life balance even if we know it will benefit us to maintain it, because we feel that money or maintaining a good reputation with our bosses can be more important.

Ultimately, though, nothing is more valuable than your health! That's also why eating stuff that's good for you is important, and yes, this is a shameless plug for the delicious Nakee Buttter, so buy some today! :P

Anyways, I hope that these tips help. Here are a few links to more resources that you may also find beneficial; we also have a few other blogs here at Nakee that might help too. Hope you enjoyed this blog, and I look forward to seeing you at the next one. Best wishes, everybody; this is Brendan, signing off for now.