Healthy work-life balance
Sometimes our hectic lives get in the way of achieving our goals, writes Carolyn Hansen
BECAUSE OF THE internet/worldwide web connecting the world around us, the business world is moving at a faster pace than ever and employers are expecting more and more with added pressure to achieve.
The result is the stressors of work are at a high and achieving work-life balance is becoming more difficult.
Add to that the high cost of living. Most families now require two incomes to make it in today’s world/economy. This complicates child rearing (all that shuffling to activities included), reduces quality time spent with each other and increases stress levels.
Stress is a known killer. It causes physiological reactions and requires work-life balance on our part to undo these unhealthy reactions. It is a clear signal and when it infiltrates home life, it is an obvious indication that work-life balance has not been achieved
The reality is we can never fully discover and live our life’s purpose if we can’t achieve balance between both our work and our personal lives, families included.
When our work-life is in balance, our healthy habits and leisure activities help us to recover effectively from any job-related stress and vice versa. This recovery helps to reduce or eliminate the effects that long-term stress would otherwise have on our health.
Here are a few major reasons why a balanced worklife is important:
Less burnout
When too much focus is solely work associated, work-life is out of balance and work burnout is the result. Burnout at work doesn’t just stay at work. It affects our personal health/life, messes with our personal relationships and reduces the level of efficiency and productivity we achieve at work.
In other words, the negative effects of work burnout trickle into all areas of our lives, personal, work- related and social.
We must be able to separate home and work – meaning the stressors of work stay at work and the stressors of home don’t follow us to work. When our personal and work lives are balanced, work burnout is pretty much eliminated.
On a positive note – there are many companies that are now supporting employee wellbeing. These smart businesses recognise that a sustainable workforce through work-life balance is the only way to enjoy long term success.
They see the big picture and work to avoid employee burnout because they understand that associated costs of a burnout are eventually passed on to them. These companies enjoy greater productivity and increased staff retention. Skilled workers are naturally attracted to these progressive companies, giving them a sweet pool of talented candidates to choose from.
On the other hand, employers that ignore the importance of work-life balance end up experiencing decreased productivity and higher rates of employee absenteeism as well as higher rates of employee turnover and all these things come with a cost.
Increased focus and attention
One of the many benefits of achieving work-life balance is we have greater focus on the present moment and what’s required of us. When we enter the workplace, our focus is clear, and our full attention is on the task at hand. This naturally increases our work productivity. Reversely, when we head home for the day and we’re able to leave work at work, it allows us to experience quality time with our spouses, children, extended family and friends without the stress distractions that work would otherwise cause.
Health improves
A stressed mind produces a stressed body. And, it’s no secret that a tired, run-down body is subject to greater levels of stress. Stress weakens the immune system and underlies many health conditions.
Everything from the flu to more serious health concerns - cardiovascular, digestive or respiratory problems - all begin to surface. If allowed to run rampant, it is an unrelenting killer.
It’s always good to emulate and learn from others who have achieved work-life balance. Watch any successful, healthy entrepreneur and you will discover they have found a way to achieve work-life balance.
These crafty individuals know how to work smart, not harder. Their health and happiness are of primary importance because they realise without it, their chances of achieving the level of success they are after becomes slim at best.
They clearly see the parallels between the wealth they want to achieve, the health required to stay active and achieving and the fitness it takes to get them there.
The amount of “life satisfaction” we currently enjoy is the result of our healthy work-life balance. These healthy energies enables us to experience the things that give us the most pleasure in life and to share these with others.
Taking time for ourselves outside of our work environment through challenging exercise, nutritional eating, fun activities and quality sleep are all important for our personal health and happiness and this, in turn, makes us a much more efficient worker during business hours. Passionately pursuing both work and life in balance, gifts us with a longer, more fulfilling life. It is, without doubt, a win-win for all involved!