It can be easy to fall into the mindset that work is life. You sit down at your computer at 9:00 am and out of nowhere, three hours have gone by. You haven’t gone to the bathroom, drunk any water, and all the muscles in your body hurt from sitting. It’s important to maintain a healthy balance between work and life in order to thrive. Often it’s something simple, like just taking a few minutes for yourself to do some of the things on this list. Other times it’s a larger boundary you need to establish, like setting strict working hours. Below is a list of 25 tactics to help bring a sense of balance to your life and ultimately thrive at work.
Set strict working hours (and stick to them)
Actually start your day before you start your workday
Prioritize or schedule out your day
Set an intention for the day that benefits one of your life goals
Know your optimal work time during the day and schedule hard tasks during that time
Make to-do lists at the end of your workday so you can truly leave it at work
Delete your work email from your phone (if you can)
Delete any work instant message apps from your phone, or at least turn off notifications
Talk to work friends about non-work topics
Take five minutes to organize your workspace
Take a legitimate lunch break
Schedule personal time to give yourself a true break
Meditate for five minutes
Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and sit quietly while enjoying the warmth
Take a walk outside or around your office building
Have a conversation with a friend or connect with someone you care about
Exercise during the day, even if it’s during your lunch break
Get a good night’s sleep to avoid anxiety from lack of sleep
Schedule social events after work for things to look forward to
Stand up and stretch, or stretch in your chair regularly
Say “no” if you’ve got too much work on your plate
Take a five minute dance break in your car
Schedule mental health days throughout the year
Read a book for five minutes
Focus on the results of your work, not the hours spent doing it
Practicing a few (or all) of these habits will not only help your day-to-day balance but will help your mindset towards work overall. When you’ve built breaks into your day, you have moments to look forward to and automatic coping mechanisms for when things get stressful. And let’s be honest, sometimes you just need a break!
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