Managing Work-Life Balance in 2024

Finding a work-life balance in the fast-paced world of 2024 remains an ongoing challenge for many of us. You might be finding it difficult to carve out quality time with family and friends, or those extra gym sessions have been few and far between. Fortunately, our Health Improvement Practitioner, Claire Bidois, is here to provide you with her top tips for managing work-life balance through boosting your mental health and preventing burnout.

Understanding why it is important to maintain a work-life balance

Sarah, a dedicated Salesperson, was no stranger to the struggles of work-life balance. Sarah’s recent promotion at work has meant that she has had to do extra hours at work to stay on top of her tasks.

“I was so excited when I received this promotion! However, I didn’t expect it to affect my social life and health so much. Not being able to work out or catch up with friends has started to take a toll on me, as I really value my health and friendships.”

Sarah’s case is not unusual. It can be so easy to get caught up with our careers that we forget to prioritise the things we value in our lives. That’s not to say that our careers aren’t important. However, it’s imperative that we take time for our hobbies and relationships outside of work.

Maintaining a work-life balance offers a range of advantages, each contributing to a specific area of your wellness. It plays a pivotal role in enhancing our physical and mental health. By giving ourselves time for self-care, relaxing, unwinding, and focusing on our hobbies outside of work, we can boost our happiness in our personal lives as well as improve our performance at the workplace.

Striking the right balance between work and our personal life allows us to prevent burnout that can be caused by long hours and chronic stress. Furthermore, it means we can come into the workplace refreshed and rejuvenated. Therefore fostering a more productive and innovative work environment. Recent studies have even shown that this leads to higher job satisfaction in the long run.

Key strategies for finding work-life balance

Work-life balance looks different for everyone. We all have different hobbies and values that dictate what we like to do in our spare time. However, if you are struggling with your mental health, then you can try these methods to maintain a work-life balance;

• Exercise
  • Going to the gym is always a good start. We also recommend that you try to workout outside, as studies have shown that being in nature improves our mood and overall mental health.
• Social connection
  • Meet up with friends or hang out with family. It’s so important to make plans with your friends and family, even if it’s a while away, but more on that later.
• Limit Gaming & Social Media
  • We understand this can be a hard one, as may be a hobby for some people. There is definitely a time and place for unwinding by scrolling social media or gaming. However, as fun as these can be, it is important that when we aren’t at work, we don’t spend all of our time at home scrolling social media or gaming.
• Try learning something new
  • It’s ingrained in us as humans to get a kick out of learning a new activity or picking up a new hobby. It’s so valuable to our mental health to expand our minds by learning something new.
• Sleep
  • Sleep is an incredibly important factor in mental wellbeing. Adults generally need around 7-8 hours of sleep to feel rested. If you’re a teenager, then aim for 9-10 hours.