5 expert tips to achieve work-life balance

Happiness Concierge’s Emily McQualter shares her advice on how to strike the right mix between the demands of our work commitments and personal lives.

Work-life balance is about striking the right mix between the demands of our working lives and personal lives, and it can be a tricky thing to get right. The Fair Work Act defines full-time work as 38 hours a week plus reasonable additional hours, but issues can arise when there is a discrepancy between what an employer considers to be reasonable and what we as individuals do.

Technology adds another layer of complication. Smartphones mean we are accessible 24/7, and that can come with the expectation that we will be checking emails and responding to messages long after we’ve left the office. This can make workers feel stressed out, overworked and overwhelmed.

The good news is there are steps you can take to set clear boundaries between the work you’re paid to do and the other things in your life that make you feel fulfilled. After all, a good work-life balance can make us healthier, more focussed, and less susceptible to burnout – which, in turn, makes us better workers.

Here are my five tips for achieving work-life balance.

Trying to juggle competing priorities is a recipe for burnout. It’s essential to know what is most important to you right now. Is it progressing in your career, or is it making time to travel or be with your family? As a personal example, this year my son started primary school, so I knew my number one priority was being around to participate in his life and help him adjust. At the end of last year, I recognised I needed to change my working arrangements to facilitate this. I sat down, planned a strategy and did the leg work, which let me make the required personal and professional changes well in advance of that first day of school.

‘Task batching’ is a time management tool that minimises distraction and maximises concentration. It does that by grouping similar tasks to complete during a block of time, which gives us room to focus on what matters rather than jumping between notifications, emails, pieces of work and sidebar conversations. At Happiness Concierge, we tell clients to think of the time of day or day of the week they are most productive, creative, passionate or motivated, and line up batch tasks to that time. It means that, if your cranky pants slide on at 4:30pm on a Thursday, it’s probably not the best time to meet with Karen from compliance.

If you are capable, competent and busy, you tend to become the go-to person for things that need to get done. While that is a great reflection of your character, it can also put you at risk of taking on too much and losing your work-life balance. Saying no can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be with a “no sandwich”. This is a technique that helps you say no with gratitude, kindness and without burning any bridges.

There are three steps to a “no sandwich”:

1. Validate the asker’s request
2. Say no
3. Either suggest a solution or leave the door open for future work.

This is how it might look: “Oh wow, that's a great opportunity. While I'd love to consider leading [Project X], I don't have capacity to take this on. You might want to approach [insert the name of anybody else]."

The general rule of employment is that your employer will take whatever you are willing to give, so as a worker, it’s up to you to set boundaries and stick to them. If something is impacting your work-life balance, the sooner you can address it through a constructive conversation, the better. There is a simple five-step framework for having a constructive work conversation.

1. Get your manager’s permission to have the chat
2. Share the observation you’ve noticed
3. Share the impact it has on you
4. Open it up for discussion
5. Make your recommendations

This is how it might look: “Can we have a chat about the text message you sent me yesterday? I received it at 6am and it was in all caps. It made me feel uncomfortable and gave me the impression I need to be available at that time. What can we do to prevent this? From now on, I would prefer you hold off on texting unless it’s incredibly urgent, but I will aim to respond to your requests within the first hour of the working day.”

Exercise is one of the first things we abandon when we feel overwhelmed or off balance, but it’s magical. Exercise is a fantastic mood regulator. It reduces the stress hormones in our bodies (like adrenalin and cortisol) that arise when we are feeling anxious. It also stimulates endorphins, which are natural pain-killers and mood boosters, so the result is a happier, more resilient you.

Working out can bring a great sense of balance to your day. On top of that, exercise can be a problem solving tool. Getting out of the office, away from the desktop and out of your tired brain could provide just the breakthrough you need to solve that issue you haven’t been able to nut out while staring at your computer.

When it comes to work-life balance, it’s important to remember there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and what works for you one week might not work the next. The key is prioritising yourself, constantly striving for balance and finding what energises you. What makes you excited and happy can only do good things for the relationships in your life – both personally and professionally.

Emily McQualter is a personal development coach and workplace trainer at Happiness Concierge.

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.