How To Achieve a Healthy Work-Life Balance With 8 Simple Tips

When choosing a career, it’s important to consider the schedule, work location and salary you’d like to have and which industries can accommodate your preferences. A healthy balance of both your work aspirations and life priorities will help you feel happier, more fulfilled and less stressed. In this article, we discuss what a healthy work-life balance is, why it’s important and how to achieve a healthy work-life balance.

What is a healthy work-life balance?

A healthy work-life balance is the ability to achieve professional goals while still having the time and energy to devote to a fulfilling personal life filled with family, friends, hobbies and/or downtime. Ultimately a healthy work-life balance means you have the time and resources for both personal and professional priorities, which can reduce stress and boost productivity.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide To Work-Life Balance

Why is a healthy work-life balance important?

Having a healthy work-life balance gives you a feeling of control over meeting both work and life goals, which can help you feel happier, healthier and more satisfied in your career. It can also help you to be more productive and have better quality relationships, at work and home.

Related: 9 Tips for Being Positive at Work

Eight tips for achieving a healthy work-life balance

Here are eight steps for creating a healthy work-life balance:

1. Limit perfectionism

It’s important to understand the difference between working hard and perfection. You are much more likely to be able to achieve excellence in your work while also balancing the needs of your home and family than you are to achieve perfection. Trying to meet unrealistic goals at work can be counterproductive and make it difficult to meet deadlines.

Read more: 12 Tips To Overcome Being a Perfectionist

2. Leave tasks and projects at work

With technological advancements and employers offering more remote work options, it can feel more difficult to disconnect from work during personal time. For this reason, it’s important to set and follow clear boundaries for work and personal time. For example, don’t check your email after your work hours have ended for the day.

Related: Self-Management Skills: Definition and Examples

3. Gauge your health

When you are physically and emotionally healthy in your personal life, you will likely feel the same in your professional life. By taking simple steps to promote your wellbeing—such as eating a healthy diet, regularly exercising, getting the right amount of sleep and meditating—you will likely feel physically and mentally healthy, which often translates to increased motivation and productivity.

4. Participate in personal hobbies

Many people define who they are by what they do for work, but it is also just as important to have personal interests and hobbies. Think about how you defined who you were before you had this position at work and make time in your schedule for activities that you enjoy.

For example, if you love reading, schedule specific times for your favorite books. If you have always enjoyed fishing, go fishing at a specific time each week.

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5. Spend time with loved ones

One of the best ways to ensure a healthy work-life balance is to make time for the important people in your life. Whether this means family, friends or a combination of both, it's important to spend time with people who encourage, support, love and care for your overall well-being. Try to make it a priority to schedule a specific time to spend with these people, and then, make sure that time is free from work distraction.

6. Assess your personal needs

A healthy work-life balance is unique to your personal needs and desires. When trying to achieve a healthy work-life balance, take a personal inventory of what is most important to you and what makes you feel happy and fulfilled.

7. Establish your own balance

Try to achieve a balance that makes you feel happy and healthy, rather than one equally divides your time between work and home. Some people find greater fulfillment from working more hours, while others find greater happiness from spending more time at home. It’s important to find the right balance for you, considering quality time, salary and personal and professional goals.

8. Love your career

When you are passionate about the work you do, you are more likely to be happy at work. Having a career you love can also help you feel more motivated and get things done more efficiently. Assess if you enjoy your field and position, and if not, what you might do instead. Consider your personal hobbies and your current transferrable skills and experience and how you might make a transition to a career you’ll enjoy.

Read more: Finding a Career You Love: With Tips