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Here’s how to create a healthy work-life balance
Prioritise. Spending time with family should not be neglected because of working overtime. Establish boundaries between family time and work time. Net Photo
What you need to know:
- “Your job is important, but so is your personal life. No one is irreplaceable at work no matter how important your position is but if you neglect your family, you could lose them forever.” Jude Kakande, social worker
Balancing one’s work and personal life is a challenge to many people. While there are those whose jobs allow them enough time for personal activities, most people’s jobs take up most of the day and therefore leave little to no time for family or a vibrant personal life.
Work has taken precedent over everything else in our lives because of our desire to succeed professionally and earn more making us forget about our own well-being.
According to Julia Kushemererwa, a human resource consultant at Success Africa, the work- personal life balance focuses on creating even distribution of time and effort between work and life outside work.
However, she says, there is no such balance in the real world. It is an ideal concept that challenges us to aim for perfection. You aim for the moon and hopefully land on the stars.
She adds that work and personal life cannot in the real sense be separated. As such balancing them is a tall order.
“The focus should be on work- personal life integration to cater for the dynamic nature of both work and life to facilitate a complementary relationship rather than a competitive one.”
Jenny Epit Okaka, the human resource business partner at KCB Bank, says this may not be attainable, however, it is worth working towards. As demands grow, there is need to find a balance.
She remarks that, “Even when you work extra hours, there is always the next day. It is important that you live a day at a time and be intentional on your deliverables.”
If you neglect personal life in favour of a professional life, you are likely to run the risk of the entire balance getting upset.
Some days, you might focus more on work, while others you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or spend time with your loved ones.
When you want to create a work-life balance that works for you, you must take time to assess your own needs. It is more about having the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to truly enjoy your personal life.
Set goals and priorities
Ensure that you set achievable goals that you are passionate about in respect to your career, health and relationships.
“Give a higher priority to those tasks that are more important. Implementing time management strategies, analysing your to-do list and cutting out tasks that have little to no value will make your workday very productive,” says Okaka. Analyse the time of the day when you are most productive at work and block that time off for your most important work-related activities.
Waste no time
After knowing the most productive hours of your work day, ensure that you utilise it profitably.
“Avoid checking your emails or phone during this time, do not involve in any conversations at the work place and all the major time-wasting tasks that derail your attention and productivity,” Kushemererwa says.
Plan for personal time
No matter how hectic your work schedule is, you ultimately have control of your time and life.
Your job is important but so is your personal life.
Jude Kakande, a social worker says you should plan for personal time or you will never have time to do other things outside of work.
Prioritise the activities or hobbies that make you happy.
Focus. Find the time of day when you are most productive and make the most of it to get office tasks done. Net Photo
Create a calendar
When planning time with your loved ones, create a calendar for romantic and family dates. This will enable you spend quality time with them without interruptions or excuses. Never neglect personal relationships because work keeps you busy. No one is going to love or appreciate you the way your loved ones do.
“No one at work is irreplaceable no matter how important your position is but if you neglect family, you may lose them forever,” says Kakande.
Set boundaries and work hours
Whether you work from home or away from home, it is important to notify your team members and manager about the boundaries beyond which you are not accessible.
Your health is important.
If you are sick, don’t be afraid to ask for sick leave as overworking yourself prevents you from getting better.
Also, mentor and coach others to do what you do well or even better than you so that you reduce your load systematically,” Kushemererwa adds.
