Five strategies for a healthier work/life balance for the busy professional

Work/life balance

Balance suggests equal amounts of work and play, which never really happens. It’s something I strived for my in my corporate roles, but didn’t really achieve it!

That said, I like to think that change is coming in the corporate world, and there are companies that I read about that are doing great things. I was fortunate in my corporate roles there was always a degree of flexibility and I was able to make it work as a single mum. What I struggled with was my inner voice, who had lots of stories around working hard to make a living, the guilt of being a working mum, comparison with colleagues who stayed late whilst I rushed off at 2pm for the school run and so on.

I prefer the term work/life harmony. My life and work are woven together in a dance - sometimes it’s upbeat and energetic…and sometimes its slow and relaxed. Sometimes my life takes the lead, and in other times it’s work. I’m now nearly 3 years into my self employment journey as a time management coach and these dance partners have had plenty of practice… our dance is a lot more polished now. I’ve been working hard on the choreography behind the scenes - I’ve got systems and automations in place that helps everything tick along to the beat, and I’ve also been doing the work on my mindset, which has helped massively. I’m fortunate that I have agency over my schedule as a self-employed time management coach, but even if you are in full-time employment there will be things in your control that you can think about adjusting and experimenting with.

There are many strategies that we could use to improve our work/life balance; I thought I would share a few practical things from my perspective as a time management coach that you could try.

Set clear boundaries

Setting clear boundaries is essential. Establish specific work hours and avoid bringing work-related tasks into personal time. Learn to say no to additional commitments when necessary to prevent overloading yourself. Where this gets hard is when you need to say no to things that you actually want to do. But if you can look holistically at your calendar, and cultivate the skill of planning in advance you’ll learn what you can realistically do in a week without overwhelm.

Prioritise your tasks

Prioritise tasks based on importance and deadlines (this is the Eisenhower Matrix technique), and I also like to use my core values and future vision to prioritise. When I’m in alignment with my values, work feels good. I’ve written previously about prioritisation here.

Time blocking your schedule

Consider using techniques like time blocking which will help with focus and productivity, but also allow you to look at your calendar from a birds eye view and ensure you have harmony across your weeks. For example, if I have a week where I perhaps have a work deadline to meet, and I’m working longer days than usual… then I know to intentionally block out more time for rest the week after. You can watch my free training on how to time block your calendar here.

Consider your work environment 

Our environment is really important too. Establishing a dedicated workspace and maintaining a clear separation between work and personal life, even if you work from home, can contribute to a healthier balance. Even something simple like what you wear to work if you work from home can be impactful, so you’re getting into the right mindset for work, and then changing when work is over. It can also be helpful for little kids at home too, to see when you are working and when you are not.

Make time for self-care

Lastly, prioritise self-care, including activities you enjoy outside of work, to nurture a more fulfilling and balanced life. It can be helpful to diarise self-care. It’s so easy to push out a walk or a bubble bath (I would also argue that self-care goes way beyond a bath, but it’s a great example for the purpose of this post!)… but if you make an appointment with a friend to go for a walk, or treat yourself to a massage if you can, it’s likely that these appointments will not be overlooked and your self-care will happen (I’m booked in for a massage next week, and cannot wait!!). There’s more on making time for self-care here on my blog.

Let me know what strategies you use in the comments.