Ten life hacks to a better work-life balance

There’s no bigger ticket to good wellbeing at work than having a positive work-life balance. This is where, as the name suggests, the balance between your work-life and your home-life is measured and enjoyable, making ample time for both.

This may sound simple enough but can actually be difficult to achieve, especially in an age of increased working from home and flexible working. This can sometimes lead to us, through no fault of our own, heavily tip the balance towards work and forget to enjoy our lives.The pandemic has made this even tougher, with over half of respondents to one of our recent surveys stating that their mental health continues to be worse off due to COVID-19.

Here are our ten golden tips or tricks from us on how to achieve a better work-life balance ⬇️

Turn off push notifications on your phone

We all know the feeling: you’re on your sofa watching TV in the evening, winding down from your work day, then you see your phone light up and it’s an email from work. You read it, and suddenly you’re back in work mode and it can be hard to disengage again.

Try turning off or silencing the push notifications for your email provider at the end of the day. This can be found in the settings section of your phone and will  remove that pesky temptation to check and start responding to your emails after hours.

Go for a walk at the beginning and end of the day

When working from home, the line between work and home-life can be blurred. Try going for a walk before you start work and after you’ve finished to give your working day a sense of beginning and completion and trick your mind into separating the two.

Work in a different room

It can certainly be tempting to work in the living room or in bed, particularly when they’re so much comfier than your standard office chair, but this can further blur the line between work-life and home-life. If you’re able to, even if it’s just a small table, have a fixed station that you use only for work and nothing else. This way, your mind will be fully aware when you’re at work and when you’re not.

Count your hours

If you’re a contracted worker, you’ll only have a set amount of hours in your contract. If you’re full time, this is most likely around 37. Try making a spreadsheet of your hours, registering the time you start and stop working. Once you’ve hit your hours, that’s time to shut off and unwind. If you’re finding yourself with lots to do still at the end of the day, that’s when you know to have a conversation with your line manager about a more manageable workload.

Don’t work through lunch!

If you’re working from home, it can be so easy to have the laptop open whilst eating breakfast or lunch. Resist the temptation, enjoy your meal and enjoy your break time to yourself.

Let the apps do the work

These days there are so many apps and websites that can help you manage your time more efficiently. Ditch the old fashioned pen and paper to-do list and join a service like Trello or Monday.

Schedule in fun

This can sound boring or regimented, but sometimes having a structured approach to all of your time ensures you make time for yourself. You’d have a section in your calendar blocked out for a meeting, wouldn’t you? Why not block time out to go to the cinema or meet friends? Your time off is precious, so make sure to enjoy it. Community also offers 40% off at select cinemas to help you out.

Set realistic expectations

We all like to be the office hero, but sometimes it just isn’t possible. When you’re giving timescales to colleagues on when work can be completed, be reasonable and kind to yourself. Give a sensible time of completion that enables you to do the work and still finish at a reasonable hour.

Get physical

Exercise can be a great way to break up your day, and release endorphins to make you feel relaxed or at ease. Try to get your 10k steps in every day to break up the monotony and give you time to yourself, or join a gym to get extra gains. Remember you can get discounted gym membership as a member of Community.

Know your rights!

It’s a sad state of affairs, but some employers will always try and push to get more out of you than they should. Know your rights, know what you’re entitled to and know when you’re able to push back. Check your contract, make sure you’re not doing anything you shouldn’t be. And most importantly, chat to your union rep if you have any issues! It’s what they’re there for. Contact the Service Centre if you need support.