If you haven’t already noticed, the other aspect in work-life harmony is “life” – that thing you do when you’re not working. It’s also the time with which you can decide what you want to do so that you can destress, unwind, and enjoy yourself. This could mean different things to different people. It could mean going for a run or attending a yoga class. It could also mean kicking back with a Netflix movie or hanging out with some friends over a meal and drinks.
How can you dedicate more time for you?
1. Try planning at least one activity that you enjoy doing during the week
Also, lock these activities into your calendar. Doing so will probably make it easier for you to plan around the activities rather than skipping them for work. Essentially, what’s important is making sure that you set aside the time to do something that’s good for your soul – to recharge and re- energise.
Want some company or recommendations? Why not check out some of the interest groups on Swish to meet people with similar interest, whether it’s futsal, poker, or wine, and maybe event arrange a meet up with fellow enthusiasts.
2. Maximise your weekdays
Besides planning a weekday activity, you can also try maximising your weekdays so that you’ll have more time for yourself on the weekends. What do we mean? Think about all the time you spend taking care of personal responsibilities on the weekend – grocery shopping, cleaning the house, doing the laundry etc. What if you spent some time taking care of these responsibilities after getting home from work instead of logging into Netflix or watching YouTube videos? How much more time would you then have on the weekend to do the things you actually enjoy? (Unless you enjoy doing grocery shopping and household chores of course 🙂
3. Disconnect
In this digitally connected day and age, work emails/communications can come in at any time of the day or night. However, it’s important to set boundaries between work and life – to disconnect from work in order to achieve work-life harmony. Hence, unless an urgent response is required, you shouldn’t feel obligated to respond to emails/communications that you receive after office hours or over the weekend. Conversely however, if it’s crucial that you get a response to your email/communication outside of office hours, you can always let your recipient know by adding “Urgent” to your email title or chat message.
4. Take some time off
How else can you make time for yourself? Why not take a day or two off whenever you feel the need to recharge your batteries? Yes, we know that there’s never an easy time to take leave. However, your wellbeing is just as important to the organisation as it is to you. So, if you need a day or two off to get away from the daily grind, go ahead and apply for leave.
5. Get enough shut eye
Speaking of getting away from the daily grind, this also means getting enough rest to prevent burnout and exhaustion. Some of the signs that you could be suffering from burnout and/or exhaustion include brain fog, the inability to concentrate, and physical fatigue. You know your body best, so do practice self-awareness when it comes to recognising the above symptoms. Take them seriously and take a timeout if you need to. After all, suffering and recovering from burnout wastes more time than resting when you need to.
Most importantly, please TAKE ACTION. If you find that work is taking over your daily life, affecting your wellbeing and/or personal relationships, do discuss the issue with your manager so that a collaborative solution can be found.
This article was originally published by Golden Equator People Experience Management Team