How to balance work & life

In 2021 Harvard Business Review conducted almost 200 in-depth interviews with 78 professionals from the London offices of a global law firm and an accounting firm. The majority of the interviewees described their jobs as highly demanding, exhausting, and chaotic, and they seemed to take for granted that working long hours was necessary for their professional success.

Last year we however saw a rise of the quiet quitting movement fueled by the Gen Z and Millennials employees claiming that you should only work on tasks that fall within your job description and do not go even one step above. This was just another step into better work-life balance with a focus on well-being of an employee as opposed to the hustle culture which was being put on the pedestal in the previous year.  

But how exactly to balance your work and life? Is there any right way to do this? Probably not as different people have different needs. Here are some generic tips that all of you can try to separate your work life and your private life.

Don’t bring your work home

As easy as this might sound, this is an issue that a lot of people struggle with. When you did not manage to finish something at work, don’t bring the work home. Talk to your manager about tasks that turned out to be more demanding and explain that you need prolonged deadlines. Don’t pick up work calls at home, set up a voicemail explaining what times you are available, do the same for work email and notifications. No issue is usually that serious that it can’t wait until you’ll start a new workday. With a Scheduled blocking premium feature you can manage when and where you do not want to be distracted by your work notifications. You can even block work-related websites on your PC or laptop using the new AppBlock Google Chrome browser extension. 

Use your day-offs and have holiday 

It is never your fault if there is constantly too much work on you and your coworkers hands. If you feel like you can not take a break, that is exactly the time you should probably take it. Each year you are given a number of days by law and many companies offer extra days off. Make sure you will use them and give yourself the much needed leisure time. Whether travelling or having a stay–at-home vacations do not check on your work stuff. Block your email and other work app notifications. With AppBlock’s Quick block tool you can easily turn down all work notifications for a day when you do not want to be interrupted,  you can read more about how the feature works here.  

Don’t work when sick – use your sick days and medical visits do not put your work in front of your health

Apply the same thing from the previous tip to your health. Schedule regular yearly checkups, take sic day when not feeling well. If you feel too much pressure from work to perform you can also discuss this with your manager, try some stress management techniques yourself or even consider therapy – for which you are allowed to take the hours off of work. Put yourself first and your job second. It will not benefit anyone if you are not doing well health-wise, whether it is your mental health or physical health. 

Weekends are for fun and rest

Try to make the most of the weekend. Meet your friends, go outdoors, see a movie – if that is what you need. If you have had a demanding work week and feel a need to relax, don’t feel sorry if you need to cancel plans with friends and just stay at home as sometimes the pressure to go for all the social events your friends have planned may be just as stressful as your work week.  

Download AppBlock

Don’t let distractions hold you back. Download AppBlock for both Android and iOS today and take control of your productivity!