9 Ways to Prioritize Work-Life Balance During a Career Shift
With the significant increase of technology in the recent decades comes many benefits in the workplace. But with many upsides also comes many downsides - one of them being the difficulty of unplugging from the workplace outside of the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Work-life balance is the stability between one’s work-life and personal-life. In a post-pandemic world, we see many ways that companies are working on improving this balance for their employees through work from home and unlimited time off policies. Below are 9 ways that you can work on prioritizing your work-life balance yourself.
1. Don’t work through your lunch break
Working through your lunch break is a small way to increase the burnout process for yourself. Using your lunch break to do something for yourself, whether you’re working in-person or from home, encourages motivation and gives your brain a break. Examples of some things that can be done during a lunch break besides eating include going on a quick walk, cleaning your space, meditation, and many other activities that will be beneficial in giving your brain - and eyes - a break for a half an hour to an hour.
2. Plan fun activities or hobbies for your time off
When you’re not working, it is important to both rest and do things that are enjoyable! Finding a hobby or seeing family and friends are great ways to enhance your life outside of work (It also gives you something to talk about with your coworkers the next day you’re in the office!).
3. Exercise at least once per day
Whether you prefer waking up early to go to the gym, taking a brisk walk, accomplishing the 12-3-30 all before breakfast, or using a walking pad while working from home, exercising is a pivotal part of your day and maintaining serotonin. People who exercise are proven to be more likely to handle stress in the workplace.
4. Putting distance between your work and home life
Whether you work at an office or have a workspace in your home, ensuring that you have a dedicated workspace is incredibly important for creating balance in your life. Having a set-aside place for work helps promote focus and productivity as you are away from things (even if it’s only 10 feet away) that might distract you and take away your attention from work tasks you need to complete. The same thing is to be said about working in the office, as this building and desk is your away-from-home space to focus on work and work only.
5. Prioritize time management
Time management is a great tool that many students take advantage of when they are in college balancing work, school, extracurriculars, and social lives. While it may seem like a breath of fresh air not having all of those things to keep track of when moving into professional life, time management is something that should be heavily relied on in the workplace, especially starting out. Using an online calendar - such as an Outlook or Google Calendar are great ways to block off specific work time alongside pre-scheduled meetings. Time-blocking ensures set-aside time to complete even the most specific tasks - such as checking emails, writing, or brainstorming.
6. Use your time off
This one really speaks for itself in saying - use all of your offered paid time off. This time off is given to you for a reason, so using it to go on vacation, take mental health days, or to enjoy the holidays with your family is incredibly important. You deserve rest!
7. Get to know your work team
Getting familiar and comfortable with your team ensures a positive and secure environment for you when you are working. Creating and maintaining relationships with those you spend so much time with helps to make work more enjoyable and lets you have conversations about your personal life with those at work.
8. Allow yourself to be comfortable with asking for help
Sometimes, work can truly get to be too much. As discussed in #7, creating close relationships with coworkers gives you people to ask for help in a time of need. On days (or weeks) that life seems like a little too much, these people can help take some work off your plate or even lend you some words of encouragement.
9. Find a “vacation” everyday
This is my personal favorite. I heard this phrase a while ago and have tried to live by it since. Essentially, it means finding something to look forward to everyday. Whether this be going out to dinner, having a favorite show you’re planning on watching after work, a favorite book, etc. There are so many things to look forward to. Others may call this, as it is a current TikTok trend, “romanticizing your life.” One way I’ve chosen to do this in the past couple of months is drinking water and San Pellegrino out of a wine glass. It makes me feel fancy and happy. It truly is the little things that count!
Overall, work-life balance is an important part of finding your career and job after college, and one that should be prioritized. Having this in your career allows for a happy and healthy life, both physically and mentally. Use the above tips to ensure you’re helping promote a good balance in your life.
About Madison
Madison McDonald is a senior pursing a degree in Communication Studies. This will be her first semester with GrandPR and will be serving as an Account Executive. She is currently the Communications Intern at SpartanNash. After graduating this spring, Madison plans to stay in the Grand Rapids area to continue a career in Public Relations. She also works part time as an Event Assistant with Stellaluna Events.