Work-life balance is something that most of us have heard a lot about, but what exactly does it mean? The term "work-life balance" was first used in the 1970's by the sociologist John Robinson. The concept was simple: he wanted to quantify what people were doing with their time outside of work, and how much time they spent at work. It wasn't until the late 90's that the term "work life balance" became popular, and then it really took off in 2000 when researchers from Duke University conducted a study on work-life balance and found out that people who were able to achieve a good work-life balance were more productive at work than those who didn't have one.
Work-life balance is an essential part of being a productive employee. When you're working hard, it's easy to forget that there's a life outside of your job. But when you don't take care of yourself, it can be detrimental to both your mental health and your productivity.
While it might seem like work-life balance means spending all your time at work, or vice versa, it really just means making sure you are taking care of yourself in between those two extremes. That could mean taking some time off from work to spend with friends or family members (or both!), getting enough sleep each night so that you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead, or even just taking time out during the day to do something soothing like meditating or reading a book.
It's important to remember that your body is not made for constant stress — it needs breaks from that stress in order to function properly. It's a question that plagues us all: how can we achieve work life balance? The answer is simple: you need to take time for yourself.
But what does that mean? How do you take time for yourself? And how do you make sure it fits into your schedule, without sacrificing your work life? It's a complicated question, but here are some tips that might help:
- Get up and move around. If you're sitting at a desk all day, try getting up once an hour and doing some stretches or walking around the office. You'll feel better and more energized, which can help you focus better on the task at hand when you return to your chair.
- Set aside specific times for personal email checking, social media scrolling, and more. The less often you check these things throughout the day, the less likely they are to distract from your productivity. Set aside specific times — morning or after lunch break, for example — to check in with these platforms. This will also allow them to be fresh in your mind when it comes time to check them out later in the day.
- Limit the number of tasks you take on at any given time. Trying to do too many things at once can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, which in turn can make it harder for you to stay focused on the task at hand. Instead, try focusing on one thing at a time.
In a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers found that employees who are able to balance their work and personal lives experience greater job satisfaction and higher levels of engagement at work. This sounds great, right?
It gets better. Another study showed that employees who have a healthy balance between their work and personal lives have lower stress levels and are more likely to be more productive. So not only can you get a better sense of well-being from having a healthy work-life balance, but it can also help you perform better at work!
