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Maintaining a healthy work-life balance has become increasingly challenging in our fast-paced and digitally connected world. As work responsibilities creep into our personal lives, it can affect our mental and physical health. Rather than stressing over trying to achieve a balance between your work and your life, we want to focus on creating boundaries between work and life.
Boundaries are important because it creates a healthy separation (physical and emotional) between you and work. By setting and sticking to boundaries, you're making your needs clear and making it a priority.
This blog post will explore practical tips and strategies for setting work-life boundaries that promote better mental and physical health.
1. Create a Dedicated Workspace
One of the fundamental steps in setting up work-life boundaries is to create a dedicated workspace. A 2022 study found that Employees with a dedicated home workroom experienced fewer mental health issues. Whether you work from home or have a traditional office job, having a designated area solely for work helps to create a clear distinction between work hours and personal time. When you step into this workspace, you mentally transition into work mode, and when you leave it, you switch back to your personal life, allowing for better compartmentalization.
Putting This Into Practice:
- Have a separate room to dedicate as your office space. Make that room the dedicated office you can physically open and shut to signify the start and end of your work day.
- For those in smaller spaces, dedicate a table as your designated workspace. It's easy to want to use your dining table as your office table (to save space), but that blends in your mealtime with your work time.
2. Set Clear Working Hours
Research has shown those who experience more detachment from work during their off hours’ report higher life satisfaction and less psychological strain. Establishing clear working hours is essential for preventing work from encroaching on your personal time. Communicate these hours to your colleagues and clients, and strive to stick to them consistently. It will improve your productivity during work hours and give you a sense of control over your personal life outside of those hours.
Putting This Into Practice:
- Make your off hours CLEAR on your work calendar. Most calendar software allows you to mark when you're off work to reduce and eliminate potential notifications. If your work calendar doesn't have this functionality, create a calendar block starting from the hours when you're off so that your team sees that you're off.
- Remember to do the same for your message notifications as well. Mark your status as Offline on Slack, Teams, or any other communication platform your team uses. Additionally, you can set "Focus Time" on your phone to avoid getting notifications during your evenings.
3. Learn to Say No
While being a team player is important, saying yes to every task or project can lead to burnout. Learn to say no when your plate is full or when taking on additional responsibilities would compromise your personal time. Setting healthy boundaries at work is essential to preserve your mental and physical energy.
Putting This Into Practice:
For people with chronic anxiety or prone to overthinking, it may be challenging to say no. If so, here are some examples that you can use and adjust for your needs:
- I'm at capacity with my own responsibilities, and I'm not able to offer you the additional support you're asking for.
- This falls outside of my current job description, but if the opportunity for an expanded role becomes available, I'd be happy to discuss adjusting my role and responsibilities to better align with these tasks.
- If you need to contact me, please note that my calendar is updated with my working hours, and you're free to schedule time with me at the time that works best for you.
- These tasks fall within your remit and are outside my scope of work. Please contact my manager if you wish to discuss re-prioritizing my current workload.
4. Prioritize Self-Care
Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine. Studies have shown leisure activities that you enjoy are associated with higher levels of positive psychosocial states and lower levels of depression and negative affect. So be sure to allocate time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as exercising, spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or simply unwinding with a good book. Remember that taking care of your mental and physical health is essential for long-term productivity and happiness.
Putting This Into Practice:
Just like how we recommend you schedule your off hours, we recommend blocking time off for self-care.
5. Utilize Technology to Your Advantage
While technology can contribute to a lack of work-life balance, it can also be harnessed to improve it. Enhance your work-life balance with technology. Utilize productivity tools like Slack and relaxation apps like Flowly to streamline work tasks, increase efficiency, and create more time for personal relaxation and enjoyment.
Some of our Favorite Productivity Tools:
- Calendly for quickly scheduling meetings with people without having to look through your calendar on your own.
- Forest for staying focused and staying off your phone during deep work.
Establishing work-life boundaries is crucial for maintaining good mental and physical health. Creating a clear separation between work and personal life can reduce stress, prevent burnout, and foster overall well-being. Remember, it's not just about making time for yourself; it's about prioritizing and guarding it fiercely. Embrace these strategies and consciously set healthy boundaries, and you'll enjoy a more fulfilling and balanced life.
TLDR: Setting clear work-life boundaries is essential for improved mental and physical health. Create a dedicated workspace, establish clear working hours, and learn to say no when necessary. Prioritize self-care and utilize technology wisely to strike a healthier balance and reduce stress.