Work-life balance can feel elusive in today’s world where we are constantly connected and often working from home. Work spills over into life and vice-versa, and it can seem impossible to give your complete attention to work while you are on the clock and to focus on your family while you’re not working.
With all of these challenges, how can you better manage work-life balance?
Set Non-Negotiable Boundaries
Boundaries are the key to work-life balance. It is extremely important that you are able to focus on work during work hours and that you are able to disconnect during your off-hours. Just because you can check your email at 10 pm doesn’t make it a good idea. If you need to be on call to respond to emergencies, that’s one thing, but when your workday is over, close your computer, step away from your desk and don’t check back in until the next day.
Spend Your Weekends Relaxing
Again, you may be on call to deal with emergencies but if you are not on call, take one full day over the weekend to completely disconnect from your phone and computer and focus on activities you enjoy. Whether it’s taking your family on an outing, gardening, working on a hobby or laying under a blanket and catching up on shows, take time to do things for yourself. Spending one day a week focusing on something that brings you joy will help your stress level and help you return to work recharged.
Learn To Delegate At Work And Home
You know the importance of delegating at work, but do you also delegate at home? When you take work off your plate at the office and give it to someone else, it frees you up to focus on your most important tasks. The same concept applies at home. If you’re working and you have capable children or a capable spouse at home that can do some of your chores, task them with those items. If you don’t have someone at home who can help, consider hiring someone to do things like clean or mow your lawn or use a grocery delivery service instead of spending hours each weekend shopping. Delegating at home gives you more time to relax and destress.
Find A New Job
Sometimes, no matter what steps you take to create better balance, you simply can’t achieve it because your workplace is unsupportive. If you are an engineer or tech pro seeking new opportunities to grow your career and achieve work-life balance, contact the Atlanta engineering recruiters at Selectek today.
