If you want to be a part of a successful business, you have to work hard; that much is obvious. However, everyone has a different metric for success. What does ‘hard’ look like to you? Does it mean showing up on time, well rested and ready to give it your all until you clock out at a reasonable hour? Or does it mean arriving early and staying late, devoting every waking minute of your day to work, and neglecting your life outside of the office? If the latter is ringing a familiar bell, it sounds like it’s time to reassess your work-life balance.
We know, we know – the phrase “work-life balance” feels utterly cliché. You might roll your eyes after hearing it bandied about in HR meetings, or seeing it stamped on leaflets at the doctor’s office. After all, how can you truly embrace balance when you have an important business to run? When there’s employees to manage, goals to be met, pressing decisions to be made? A work-life balance is probably the last thing on your to-do list. And if that’s your line of thinking; we understand. At KELLA, we recognise that passion, ambition and dedication to your career makes it easy to prioritise work above all else.
However, whether you know it yet or not – a healthy work-life balance is both necessary and attainable, no matter what your role is. Better yet, perfecting your work-life balance won’t just boost your mood; it’ll boost your business. Performance psychologist Emma Keen can attest to this. She tells us that studies reveal a lack of work-life balance can “detrimentally affect executive functioning, resulting in decreased attention, diminished processing speed, and impaired memory function for short term tasks.” That means that the more you throw yourself into your job without giving the rest of your life the appropriate TLC, the more your quality of work will suffer.
So, if you can’t tell already – what are some warning signs that the scales have tipped, and your life has fallen out of balance? Emma says to be wary of “heightened fatigue”, “amplified feelings of negativity or cynicism”, and “feeling ineffective”, or as though you’re lacking “mastery” in your role. If you’re having difficulty unwinding or find yourself constantly ruminating over things that happened at work, that’s another red flag.
“While occasional experiences of these symptoms are a part of a normal busy life, frequent occurrences can indicate your work life balance is no longer working for you,” Emma says. “It’s crucial to recognize when your equilibrium is moving down the scale towards potential burnout so you can make the necessary adjustments to restore balance.”
And why is balance so necessary, any way? Emma notes that when we can find the right balance in life, “it increases our overall sense of meaning and purpose…fostering a state of thriving and vitality.” She explains how seeking a healthy balance can make your personal and professional life feel more harmonious. “It cultivates a sense of coherence across all facets of our life, enabling us to take advantage of opportunities as they are offered. It also yields cognitive benefits, such as an increased sense of openness, flexibility and creativity in our thinking processes, enhancing our overall well-being and productivity.”
Okay, so we know that the perfect work-life balance reaps endless reward. Now, how do we achieve it? It can feel monumental to change your current work rhythm, especially if it’s the only routine you know. However, there are straightforward steps rhat you can take toward building a more even lifestyle, and they’re not as extreme as you may expect.
Most important are the fundamentals; sleep, nutrition and exercise. If you’re putting work above any of these three, you’re headed straight for both bad vibes and bad business. Emma explains that these “foundational elements are crucial for resilience and balance. No matter how many other strategies you put into place, if you don’t have the fundamentals right, there will be an ongoing struggle.” You may feel like skipping lunch or working late is going to improve your productivity, but in reality you’ll just end up chasing your tail.
Another thing to look at is your support system. How are you sustaining your relationships with others? Emma tells us that “higher levels of social support are linked to improved psychological outcomes in all facets of life”. Are you nurturing professional and personal connections or going through the motions on your own? It might be time to reassess and reconnect with your circle. Make time for regular nights in with loved ones; RSVP to that old colleague who said they’d like to catch up; slow down enough to have chit chat with the neighbour.
Reflecting on your work-life balance is also a good time to assess what it is that actually nurtures your creativity, joy and productivity. Emma suggests taking some time to identify activities that “energise you” – and the ones that drain you. By managing your energy, you can prioritise activities (and sometimes even people) that are restorative and energising, and limit those that bring you down.
Embracing mindfulness can also be an effective tool for boosting job satisfaction and improving your work-life balance. Yoga, meditation and journaling are all proven to reduce stress and making time for them can help to round out your life more evently. Emma suggests trying a “gratitude practice”. “Incorporating a daily gratitude practice can help to shift your perspective towards the positive aspects of life and increase your ability to look for more.”
At the end of the day, a healthy and realistic work-life balance will look different for everyone. It might take a few baby steps to get there – we’re not asking you to silence your work emails this instant – but with the right intention and some proactive movements you’ll be able to figure out what works best for you. As Emma explains it, “balance promotes positive engagement in both our professional endeavours and personal relationships” – so why not embrace it?
Aoife Cody Kane