How to Improve Your Work-life Balance When Your Job is Far From a 9-5

Do you feel like your life is work? Trust us when we say that you’re not alone. It’s common for employees to feel as though their work life is out of their control, and they're simply going through the motions as a result. It’s become even more difficult than it was in the past to control the work-life balance, especially with the rise of remote work. If work has been taking center stage while your personal life has been stuck at the bottom of the priority list, trust us when we say there are ways to bring it back up. Here are some tips.

Meal prep

When you're working hard, you often don’t have time to cook meals and end up relying on unhealthy, sugary snacks and energy drinks. These are not sustainable energy sources for you throughout the week and can have a negative impact on your health. This is why you should meal prep, a strategy that will save you time and ensure that you’ll have healthy meals on hand for busy days, which will help reduce the stress of making food. At the beginning of every week, do a meal prep and ensure you’re making healthy and sustainable meals that will give you energy and have you feeling your best throughout the week.

Yoga

Work is stressful, and there is no better option to help reduce stress than yoga. Yoga allows you to breathe, opening your lungs and bringing in new energy. Yoga can be the best way to relax and unwind from work when you’re rushing throughout the day and don’t have a minute to catch your breath. Even a few minutes of yoga a day can help you get your mind off work and disconnect from daily stresses. Incorporating yoga can be a game changer for improving your work-life balance and helping you step away from the hectic-ness of work.  

Healthy snacks to keep by your desk

Your mental health relates to your physical health, and feeling unhealthy and drained of energy can have severe consequences on your state of mind. Eating better and having a better diet can help you feel physically and mentally better. Keep healthy, nutrient-rich snacks by your desk so that when you're reaching for a snack, you're reaching for something good for your body. Healthy snacks help you improve your personal life, but they will also help you improve your work life because you’ll have more energy and a better attitude to put into work.

Small physical exercises you can do at the office to avoid back pain 

Back pain is common, especially when seated at a desk for long periods. When you’re sitting throughout the day, especially when you’re not even getting up for stretches, the back pain can be immense. Even the best chair can’t help you entirely avoid back pain, but including a few easy exercises that you can do at the office might. Exercises like abdominal bracing, knee-to-chest stretches, oblique twists, and tapping your toes can help you avoid back pain. Incorporating small exercises that you can do right at work can help you feel better and avoid long-lasting health issues.

Computer add-ons like Flux to help with blue light

Our eyes aren’t good at blocking blue light, and studies have shown that nearly all visible blue light is directed toward the vision. As a result, constant exposure to blue light can have harsh consequences, such as vision problems, migraines and long-term visitation problems over a long enough period. However, in our day and age of technology, there are new ways to protect yourself from blue light. Take advantage of add-ons such as Flux, which filters out the blue light from your monitors, to help reduce exposure on your electronic devices and minimize the risk of vision problems.

Set an end time

If you’re not strict about setting a specific end time where you turn off the computer and end your work day, your work can go all night. It’s always difficult, especially if you work from home, to know when to stop since there’s never an end in sight with your work, and no matter how much work you do, it never seems to be enough. Set a specific time to end work at the end of each day, and when the clock strikes that time, ensure that you shut down all work-related devices or leave your office. This will allow you to be more structured with your time while helping you set time to plan personal activities.

Have something you love outside of work

Having something you’re actively working on and excited to do outside of work is important. Engaging with something you love outside of work, such as a passionate hobby, can help you disconnect from work and take time away. Hobbies are beneficial for your personal life and ensure you’re taking time for yourself, but they can also improve your work life. When you’re happy and feeling creative, it’ll boost your energy and vitality. You’ll bring your best and most fresh self to work, allowing you to perform better. 

Schedule social time

Spending time with others and seeing friends is important for your mental health and allows you to feel re-energized. Scheduling social time, whether it’s spending time with your friends, family, or even your colleagues outside of your regular work routine, can help you break up your routine and step away from a strict schedule. Spending time with people we love and care about is important for several reasons, and you’ll have more energy to put into work when you’re taking the important personal time to rejuvenate with those you care about.