Listen to this articleWork-life balance philosophy
Work-life balance can mean different things for different people but for many it means finding a comfortable medium between your work world and your personal world. It feels great when you push your limits but it’s not great if you get burned out and sacrifice your mental and physical health to “get the job done.”
For many of us, the line between work and home is blurry right now
Whether you’re working in the office, from your home or a little of both, finding the right work-life balance will always be vital. Although work-life blending is becoming increasingly popular, it’s up to you to decide whether you’re comfortable with integrating your work and life closer together or if you need to start adding more space between your home life and your job.
According to the World Health Organization, “burn-out” can have noticeable consequences to your health including feelings of exhaustion, increased cynicism and negativity, mental distance from your job and reduced personal efficacy. Even if you love your work it can quickly become disheartening if you push yourself too far. Try these tips to stay healthy and avoid burnout while working full-time.
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Neatly organized stacks of labeled and prepared lunches and a white water bottle with a water tracker decal sitting on a wood desk
1) Eat well and save time by prepping meals (and snacks) for the week
You are what you eat and what you choose to fuel your body with can decide how you feel
.throughout the day. Packing healthy pre-portioned meals and snacks can help you avoid mindless eating and frustration. Preparing your meals in advance will also help you notice what foods make you feel fresh.
Try investing a couple of hours to prep your meals for the week in individual packs. Dissolvable meal prep labels are a great way to label and reuse containers since they wash away easily with water. Just lightly scrub them with your hand or let your dishwasher clean them away to have your containers ready for next time.
2) Stay hydrated. Are you really drinking enough water?
Are you feeling tired or drained throughout the day? If you’re sitting all day, it can be easy to forget to take a drink of water once in a while. Make sure to drink enough water throughout the day to avoid fatigue from dehydration.
How much water do you need? The right balance of water can vary from person to person. However, a reasonable goal to have is about eight glasses of water a day. A fun way to make sure you’re drinking enough water is by creating your own DIY water tracker.
Apply our handy tracker on your water bottle and mark off every time you finish a glass to easily keep track of how much water you’re drinking. Decal labels remove cleanly to make it easy to peel away and replace with a new tracker at the end of each day.
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Personalized planner surrounded by custom-printed planner stickers, planner sticker sheets and markers on a wood desk and a set of cards decorated with motivational designs
3) Use a planner to help you make time for exercise
It’s easy to forget how many calories you burn just by commuting to work. If you’re working from home you won’t be walking to the subway, climbing up the stairs of the parking garage or standing around talking to your co-workers. Part of being healthy is remembering to stay physically active.
There are numerous benefits in regular exercise including weight control, combating negative health conditions, improving your mood and helping you fall asleep faster. But finding time to exercise can be challenging, especially when you’re trying to balance work life and home life.
Planning for exercise during your day can help ensure that you can make time for workouts even around your busy schedule. Try out different patterns to see if you work better with an early session to jump start the day, a session in the middle of the day or save your exercise for the evening after work.
If you use a planner, create your own fitness stickers to help plan your workouts and motivate yourself to keep moving. It can be hard to find the motivation to exercise so it helps to have a workout buddy. Your buddy can help keep you accountable and you can also inspire each other by dropping off motivational cards for each other to help keep your spirits up.
4) Avoid the temptation to work without breaks
Although it might seem like you would be more productive by skipping breaks and focusing on your work, not taking regular breaks can cause chronic stress and burnout. It’s important to give yourself some time to stand up, take a sip of water and let your mind cool down.
Getting some time to move around is important and a few great ways to get moving include taking a short walk around your house, grabbing a glass of water every couple of hours and trying to stand while working when you can. Remember, a good work-life balance and staying healthy can also include small breaks for yourself throughout the day and doesn’t have to mean working for eight straight hours.
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A water bottle, a laptop and a planner decorated with motivational stickers and phrases
5) Find creative ways to stay motivated and think positively
Positive results begin with a positive attitude and a huge part of creating a healthy work-life balance begins with your mind. There’s a strong link between “positivity” and health and sometimes simply smiling more can be enough to reduce your blood pressure.
Creative outlets and thinking of innovative motivational tactics are great ways to keep your mood up and stay inspired. Add positive stickers and decals to your most used work items to help remind yourself that you got this.
6) Help your brain switch out of “work mode”
Home is where the heart is and work is a state of mind. One of the most important aspects of learning how to manage work-life balance is being able to snap your mind from “work mode” to “home mode” so that your mind can know when to stop spinning and cool off.
If you’re in an office you can use your commute to switch gears by tuning out to your favorite music, listening to a podcast or calling your best friend to catch up. If you’re working from home, you can make it easier to switch out of “work mode” by setting specific hours for work or by setting aside some space that is only for work.
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A beautifully decorated journal with planner stickers, markers and a leather journal cover
7) Make time to connect with yourself and reflect
Remember to take a moment to slow down the pace and take a break with some mindful meditation. Mindful meditation is a simple activity where you just sit down, get comfortable, focus on your breathing and clear out your mind for a few minutes so that you can connect with yourself and the world around you.
A journal is also a great way to organize your thoughts, reflect on your day and relieve stress. Jotting things down provides an easy way to focus your mind so that your mind isn’t swimming with thoughts. Play with brighter colors, positive messaging and fun images in your planners and notes to help keep your spirits up.
Explore more ways to promote work-life balance and take care of yourself
- Is your office preparing to reopen? Read our guide on how to mentally and physically prepare yourself to return to the office.
- Find more fun and creative supplies for your exercise planner, work calendar or daily journal with the stickers, tabs and markers in our planner accessories box.
