8 signs your work-life balance is in poor health—and how to fix it
From the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom, countries across the globe are testing out four-day work weeks. But who could possibly accomplish everything they need to do in four days? Besides, what would you do with all that free time? Probably sneak back into the office to do more work.
Things in the United States are very different. In this post-pandemic age of technology-enabled remote working, we have access to work at all times. There’s no punching a clock at 5pm and leaving your job behind. Not when your boss, co-workers, clients, and teachers can reach you at any time. So many of us aren’t just working from home—we’re actually living at work.
Here are eight habits common among people who need better work-life boundaries. See how many you have adopted over the years.
Routinely working 40+ hour weeks.
You’re staying late after everyone else has left the building and sneaking in to work on weekends—or doing work at home late at night after your family has gone to sleep. You look up from your desk or your laptop and you’re all alone.
Becoming a human camel.
You don’t take a bathroom break all day and end up sprinting to the toilet as soon as you get home.
Having a spartan office.
There’s maybe one picture of your family on your desk. It’s a silent sign of commitment to your job. You think you won’t seem as dedicated to your bosses if there’s any evidence that you have a life outside of work.
Sitting. All. Day.
You’re chained to your chair for Zoom meetings and phone calls—usually while answering emails or doing other work on your computer. By the time you do finally get up out of your chair, you’re so stiff you can barely walk normally.
Going it alone.
You never ask for help or admit when you’re struggling with a task. You mask your true feelings at work.
Not socializing outside of work.
If the only parties you attend involve celebrating a birthday in the conference room, you’re not living life.
Never taking a vacation or sick day.
You’ve got weeks’ worth of time off accrued with zero plans of using it.
Forgetting what day it is.
You occasionally wake up and start getting ready for work on a Saturday morning—only to remember after you’re ready to go that it’s the weekend. But it doesn’t really matter because you were planning on working over the weekend anyway.
Hands down, work-life balance is going to be one of the hardest vitals for you to get control of. For some of us, work is life. But remember: We’re looking to change that. Start building firmer work-life boundaries and everything changes. Your sense of self-worth won’t be tied to your performance and you won’t look up from your desk one day at 60 wondering what you did with your life.
Here are two small goals to get you started.
Leave on time.
The most important thing for you to start doing is cutting back on your work hours. Start small. Pick just one day a week that you commit to leaving on time and then outsource some of the discipline required to make it happen by planning an event or activity right after work hours: volunteering at a shelter, attending a workout class with a friend, etc.
Take mental health days.
Policymakers and business owners need to start giving employees ample time off from work for any kind of major surgery, family loss, mental health issue, or trauma (including pregnancy and giving birth). On top of that, we all need a bare minimum number of mental health days to de-stress or simply catch up on sleep. I give my employees nine to twelve mental health days every year—no questions asked—and they’re not allowed to work more than 40 hours a week. That adds up to much happier employees. Until all business heads take measures to advocate for their employees, we have to advocate for ourselves.
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