Work Life Balance And How to Stop Bringing Work Home

Setting boundaries between work and home is a challenging trap working individuals face daily, especially parents. With technology allowing you to work anywhere and more companies promoting location-independent roles, bringing work home has become even more tempting.

Working individuals, more so working parents, constantly fall into an internal battle of bringing home work and multi-tasking to achieve success and enjoy the best of both worlds. But while working on that presentation or answering those emails at home may allow you to be present at the dinner table, it can do more harm than good in your careerandpersonal life.

Balance is the primary ingredient to living well. Do everything in moderation, with an equal amount of time contributed to yourself, your partner, your children, your career, and your passions. A loss of balance may still work for some individuals for a while, but it may end up disastrous in the long run.

So how can you achieve work-life balance, especially with kids in tow? First of all, stop bringing work home.

Defining Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is paramount to achieving a healthy work environment and avoiding increased work stress and burnout. You must allot time to address the demands of your job and home life to achieve this state of personal and professional equilibrium.

Studies show that practising work-life balance provides significant benefits not just to you but to your employer, too.

Increased productivity

According to research, happy workers are 13 per cent more productive. They are more focused, engaged, and motivated. You can't accomplish much when stress is clouding your mind. A blissful disposition makes you more susceptible to remembering things, better at time management, and less prone to making mistakes.

Fewer instances of getting sick

Did you know that stress isn't just all in your head? It can manifest physically. Chronic anxiety can lead to chest pain, headaches, poor sleep, or worse. Work-life balance will allow you to recover and recuperate after a draining time at work.

Better relationships

Stress is one of the primary sources of irritability, while a non-balanced life is one of the major sources of stress. This unhealthy cycle may result in toxic relationships or even leadership in the workplace. You cannot pour from an empty cup, after all. If you don’t prioritise yourself as much as you prioritise your job and the people around you, you may end up ruining your relationships.

5 Steps to Stop Bringing Work Home

1. Work smarter instead of harder during your work hours.

Do you need to attend all those meetings in a day? Before you start your work day, consider making a list of everything you need to accomplish and sort them according to urgency. It keeps you organised and decreases the pressure to finish everything quickly.

Time blocking can help you accomplish this. This time management trick entails assigning a specific period to a task. It prevents distractions and encourages deep work. When it's time to clock out, you'll realise that you've accomplished so much more.

Also read: 8 Ways to Get Your Wok-Life Balance Sorted (Infographic)

2. Talk to your boss.

Fortunately, employers are now more open and flexible regarding their employees’ overall well-being. Discuss a more family-friendly schedule option at work. What fits best for you and your family? Will working a mid-shift be better than a morning shift? Don’t be afraid to ask for options for a more efficient system. It shows that you care about your job just as much as your care about your personal life.

If it concerns your role’s workload, ask your supervisor how you can address it. Are you doing more than what your job description requires? Will the company benefit more in terms of efficiency and effectiveness if additional help is to be hired? Ask for your employer’s advice on how you can make things better for the company and you as an employee.

3. Create a routine at home and in the workplace

Routines are not only beneficial for children but for adults as well. It helps us make better use of our time and be able to properly address all our needs. For instance, having a simple morning or night care routine allows you to take time for yourself no matter how busy your day gets.

Routines also help you feel more in control of your day, lessening stress levels not just for you but for your children as well. Children naturally crave control and building a routine helps them build more self-confidence and independence. This may result in fewer arguments or tantrums at home and more time for you to focus during work hours.

Also read: How Reflection Can Help You Make Better Career Choices

4. Tell your family when you're bringing work home.

Some days are heavier than others, and you may have to work the occasional overtime. Be open about these periods with your family. Inform them when you have a critical deadline or a rushed project. Good communication will help you stay focused and let you finish sooner.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Asking for help doesn’t entail incompetence. You just need an extra hand when you feel swamped. Call your mom, a relative, or a friend to look after your kids if you need a little time to finish some work at home. Order in and skip cooking so you can squeeze in those emails and still be able to tuck your kids in bed. Indulge a bit and schedule a cleaning service during the weekend so you can make up for family time.

There are days when you need to do what you must, and nothing is wrong with that.

5. Commit to a lifestyle that prioritises work-life balance.

They say everything you want and need is on the other side of consistency. Want good skin? Be consistent with your skincare. Want to be good at a certain sport? Keep practising. Want to lose weight? Stick to your diet and allot time to exercise daily. Results don’t happen overnight, but you will eventually get to where you want once you commit to the process.

What If You Work From Home?

The line between work and life became much more complicated with the implementation of remote practices. Though working from home does offer many significant benefits, including flexibility and increased productivity, the lack of a physical space to divide your professional and personal life can make you feel more pressured to perform. So how do you not bring work home when you're literally at home?

Create a "sacred" space for your work. It replicates that physical boundary, making it easier for all the other limitations to follow. As much as possible, make sure not to take work outside this area. Create a routine for your job and personal responsibilities. If you live with family or friends, you must make them understand this schedule to prevent any distractions, thus pushing your "checkout" time further and further back. Read more about the best practices for working from home.

Work-life balance is no easy feat, but with commitment and consistency, your habits will have the power to help you live your best life.

Do you feel scared that work-life balance is out of reach in your company’s work culture? Remember you deserve a job that also prioritises your overall well-being. Visit JobStreet to#SEEKBetter career opportunities where you can grow not just professionally but holistically. Create or update your profile now.

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