Do you ever feel like your life is spiraling out of balance?
When you experience success in one area of your life, you may neglect other areas of your life if you’re not mindful.
For example, spending too much time in the office can reduce the time you can spend at home with your spouse and children.
Or perhaps you’re making strides in your career and relationships but compromising your mental and physical well-being in the process.
Women are finding it more challenging to find meaningful balance in their lives, and you can probably relate. In fact, one study shows that working women struggle with balancing work and family due to “excessive work pressure, too little time for themselves and the need to fulfill others’ expectations of them.”
If that study discourages you, don’t worry. I have some tips to help you thrive in both your work and personal lives.Â
That’s right.
You can create the work/life balance you’ve always dreamed of.Â
What is Work/Life Balance?
Having a healthy work-life balance means working on your career and goals, while also creating time to enjoy life.Â
Having a healthy work-life balance means working on your career and goals, while also creating time to enjoy life. Share on XWhat is your idea of work/life balance?
What are the different roles you fulfill as a modern woman?Â
It might be a career woman, a mother, a wife, a caregiver, a businesswoman and more.
Creating a healthy work/life balance is about fulfilling all of your responsibilities without neglecting one area of your life for too long. This balance is especially useful for keeping you burnout-free.
Why Work-Life Balance is Important for Preventing Burnout
Traditionally, women were homemakers and men were the primary breadwinners. These traditional roles are being challenged, as dual-income households are becoming the norm.Â
However, this creates a challenge unique to women because society often expects them to fulfill two full-time jobs as a career woman and a homemaker.
As you struggle to do it all, you begin feeling stressed, exhausted, and irritable — all signs of burnout.
My hope is that this article reminds you to pause, reflect on your life, and ask whether you’re creating a healthy work/life balance in your life.
The Benefits of Work-Life Balance
When you create a meaningful balance between your different roles and responsibilities, you introduce some amazing benefits into your life:
Experience Less BurnoutÂ
Sacrificing your well-being and relationships to pursue your career can quickly lead to job burnout. You may experience exhaustion, disinterest with your job, and isolation.Â
Cultivating a balance will help you rely on your relationships for emotional support and practice a self-care routine that rejuvenates you when exhausted.
Increased ProductivityÂ
Doing less work so that you can practice more self-care can actually increase your productivity.
It’s difficult to progress in your career and personal goals when you’re running on fumes. Do this long enough, and you’ll experience more than stress — you’ll burn out.
Balance work with relaxation. When you’re rested, you can better focus and perform more effectively.
Stronger RelationshipsÂ
If work dominates your life, your personal relationships can suffer.
You miss your friends’ birthday parties. You and your partner go on fewer dates. You can’t take off work to make it to your daughter’s piano recital.Â
Striking the right work/balance can help you avoid this. You can learn how to cultivate your close relationships while pursuing your career and personal goals.
Tips for Achieving Work/Life Balance
Before we dive into tips on achieving a better work/life balance, remember to click here to sign up for my email list to receive additional advice on managing and preventing burnout.
#1 Negotiate With Your EmployerÂ
If possible, negotiate some changes with your employer to help you achieve a better work/life balance.Â
Ask if it’s possible to work from home a few days out of the week. This will reduce your weekly commute time and give you more opportunities to be at home with your children.Â
Some employers are also flexible with their benefit packages. See if it’s possible to accrue more vacation or personal time. This allows you to schedule more mini-vacations throughout the year, helping you keep burnout at bay.Â
#2 Use Calendar BlockingÂ
The key to achieving a better work/life balance is time management. Calendar blocking can help you maximize the limited hours you have in a day.Â
When calendar blocking, you are scheduling time in your calendar to accomplish a specific task. For example, you can block off 6:00 to 7:00 in the evenings for house chores and then 9:00 to 10:00 for your nightly relaxation ritual.
Calendar blocking encourages you to be more intentional with how you spend your time. It reduces procrastination and helps you make time for your priorities — and that includes self-care. Self-care is non-negotiable in leading a healthy work/life balance and calendar blocking ensures that you make time for it in your schedule.
#3 Maintain a Morning RoutineÂ
Drawing on the previous tip, consider calendar blocking a morning routine to kickstart your day. A morning routine can encourage more balance in your life while protecting you from burnout.Â
Mindfulness activities, like meditation and yoga, help you practice deep breathing. Deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress, lower heart rate, and improve mood.Â
Exercise is also a great addition to your morning routine. You can build your strength, stamina, and endurance, which increases your energy levels — all helpful when tackling the stressful day ahead of you.Â
If you’re starting out, don’t add too much to your morning routine. Add a couple of activities, build the habit, and then add more if you’d like.Â
#4 Ditch the Perfection
A perfect work/life balance is a fairytale. There is little chance that your workweek and home life will go exactly as you would like it to.Â
Work may get busy and will require you to work overtime. The next week, your children may get sick, and you need to stay home to care for them.Â
Since you can’t be perfect, you can only do your best and stay organized. Striving for perfection can lead to burnout, as you overwork your mind and body.
Instead, accept that your priorities will shift throughout the year. The trick to a healthy work/life balance is to stay adaptable and continue to practice self-care as you juggle your changing responsibilities.Â
Work/Life Balance for Women Starts With Caring for Yourself
Good organization and time management will be your superpowers when achieving a healthy work/life balance.Â
You know what else is an important superpower to develop in order to experience work/life balance?Â
Self-love.
Join me for my free From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge and get my support with caring for yourself.
During these 7 days, we’ll look at what’s really going on beneath the signs of burnout, and I’ll give you simple strategies for how to turn things around so you can get on the path towards balance and enjoying your life (again).Â
If you’re ready to break out of the burnout cycle and desire to be…
- Relaxed and confident, knowing you’re tending to the most important priorities
- Energized, clear and focused
- Calm, easy-going and peaceful
- Sleeping like a baby and waking up rested
- Engaged, inspired and passionate about your lifeÂ
Join me by clicking here to sign up for my next From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge. It’s Free!