How to have Work life health/balance

katerinabc·Sep 10, 2021

Posted in:All Things Remote Personal Growth

What are your problems with work-life balance ? What solutions have worked for you?

micheleveldsman·Sep 10, 2021

Saying no to things. I am always worried about missing an opportunity! This throws the balance to work. Having had to manage childcare and work over covid lockdowns has helped me learn to say no more or delegate. I am much better at not working weekends now, the two little ones keep me busy all day!

katerinabc·Sep 10, 2021

Kids are a great forcing function. We’re trying out one day with no wifi. It’s more to get the kids to not be in their phone, as I have mobile data. But I learned to not open the computer on Saturday or Sunday, check my emails. Social media is my main problem, as I also use that for work.

micheleveldsman·Sep 11, 2021

I'm exactly the same. I took work email off my phone but I still don't completely disengage with social media being available and work related.

DianePrince·Sep 10, 2021

I agree with @micheleveldsman about saying No. I try to remember JOMO not FOMO (Joy of missing out). Here are some templates for saying no -Thank you for thinking of me but I'm currently focused on something that requires all my energy. Thank you for understanding that I can't talk now.I'm humbled that you thought to ask me, but I'm focused on a specific goal now and I'm not entertaining new things at the moment.I don't want your message to go unacknowledged. I support what you're creating! At this time in my life, I don't have extra capacity to be helpful while also taking care of myself/family/business.Thanks so much for thinking of me, I'd love to be there but I can't. Have an awesome event!Thanks for contacting me! I'd love to learn more about you but I don't have the capacity right now. However, let's stay connected on LinkedIn and maybe we can collaborate in the future!

micheleveldsman·Sep 11, 2021

Love JOMO, I'm going to always keep that in mind. And these are super useful, thank you!

katerinabc·Sep 10, 2021

Thank you for your actionable advice. You make it clear to not just say “no” but to connect your no to something (mental energy, goals)

TheGoalGuru·Sep 10, 2021

I think the most challenging thing about work/life balance is that it's not a static thing -- its a constantly evolving state of your needs and it takes active monitoring and checking in to maintain!

katerinabc·Sep 10, 2021

It’s like the laundry; it just never ends! I hate doing the laundry. When I have enough money that’s for sure something I’ll outsource. I have 4 kids and the amount of socks is just mind numbing.How do you monitor your worklife balance?

rochelleford2021·Sep 11, 2021

Seriously!!! Laundry NEVER ends!!! Totally planning to outsource as well!

TheGoalGuru·Sep 11, 2021

I can imagine -- what are they doing with all those socks anyways?! It boggles the mind!It's a tricky question in part because the answer can vary so much but at the heart of it, balance for me includes 3 key things: 1) making time to identify the intention that's most important to *me* at work and at home, especially because I absorb others' wants and needs without a second thought2) defining "done," a finish line where I can STOP, even if just for a moment, and reflect or rest or play 3) Assigning a time for everything -- even if i don't stick to the schedule, I draw up a rough outline of the week to see where everything fits and make sure I'm not expecting too much of myselfI make time on once a quarter to set big, broad goals (takes about a day) and then I take regular time on Sundays to review this all for the upcoming week (takes about an hour). I also run regular workshops to teach others these same strategies, in part because I like to help support others, but also because teaching these strategies, I always learn something new!

TBot·Sep 11, 2021

Treat your health like your #1 job. Schedule time for your workouts, block your calendar for after hours and be ruthless about your time by prioritizing, determining level of effort (some things are good enough move on) or excusing out of meetings without a clear agenda or you are not contributing. Be sure to share your goal with your manager about you prioritizing your health. Perhaps you could schedule walking meetings for 1 on 1s, standing meetings instead of sitting and take an extended lunch periods so you have time to exercise in the middle of the day. If your day can linger because you have extra work prioritize your exercise at the beginning of your day when you have energy. Ask HR about what health benefits are available whether that be discounted gym membership, fitness equipment or online classes. Your insurance provider may offer these benefits through third parties. Kaiser, Blue Cross and UnitedHealth Group all have discounted fitness programs available. One of my former companies hired a dietician that conducted a sugar cleanse four week workshop. It was awesome!Find accountability partners whether that be colleagues, friends or family who also want to work out. Join group challenges like the 90 day challenge, Freeform or others. If you have kids, have them join you! If your kids have their own practices use it to get a workout in yourself. When my kiddos have soccer I walk or run around the field. We try to do 15 minute stretching/Yoga, evening walks, roller blading or bike riding on days without sports. Dance parties or putting on music to dance around the house while doing things is super fun too!We do meal planning and furnish the house with lots of healthy food options. Our kids are very involved in the process of shopping, meal prep and making meals. We double all the recipes so we can eat our healthy meals for lunch (or freeze for another day) and save on eating out or impulse quick meals which for me is a quesadilla.

katerinabc·Sep 13, 2021

thanks for these great tips. I try to do exercise in the morning and know that once I'm in the routine it's ok. But getting into the routine is hard. We just moved, the kids are in a new school...excuses :-) But I could do better with meal planning. If it's less than 30 minutes walk, I don't take public transport.

TBot·Sep 15, 2021

All great things! As you get settled you will find your groove. Good luck.

nicolelaing·Sep 13, 2021

I received my health coaching certification a few years back for this reason. I wanted to be able to consult employers and employees on providing and experiencing healthy work/life balance.Some suggestions are:*Set boundaries*Calendar everything. If it isn’t on the calendar it doesn’t happen.*Set timers and stick to them; otherwise you’ll get trapped into never stopping*Eat healthy meals and practice daily exercise (even a walk can give you mental clarity and blood flowing)I’d love to help you practice work/life balance. Feel free to connect with me. Nicolelaing3 is my LinkedIn profile.

AnnMarie·Sep 13, 2021

It took a career change for me to realize exactly how unbalanced my life was between life and the hours of 9-5. Preparing for the week on Sundays shifted the equation but I realized it gave me much more energy both within and beyond the confines of "work."In preparing - setting up gym times in my calendar, prepping meals (or at least grocery shopping), and going to yoga - I found that after work I wasn't dreading starting these activities. I had a lot more time to hang out with my fiancé, finish a book, or go on a walk. Batching the activities made it easier to have a routine while also giving me space to color outside the lines!There's also so much more in life that can be outsourced for not as much as it seems. In our area, we can get grocery pickup, laundry wash/dry/fold, a house cleaner, and more for a reasonable price. Acknowledging that I don't have to do it all (or do it all the time) is an on-going balancing act but it's getting easier!

Mirna·May 09, 2022

My problem is loving my job too much and loving too many things :D and that keep pulling me into too active style :D I have no problems saying no to things I am not interested in, but I definitely have too many interests and because of that slip off balance often....One of the ways is to carefully monitor my emotions and energy (eg with exercises such as self check in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3RuG9lasvA ) - when I get grumpy or tired, usually it's a great indicator that i should ask a question "where did i overstretch?" :) also, to consciously plan disconnected time, nature time, mindful time with friends or for reflection :) it is tough to be smart and decisive about our boundaries and needs once we are overstretched already - so sometimes it's good idea to predict and plan ahead ;)