The lack of work-life balance in the modern world is an epidemic. Did you know that 94% of service professionals spend over 50 hours per week WORKING according to the Harvard Business Review?
And 31% also work on weekends?
83% of Millenials feel they have no work life balance according to Forbes
No wonder that burnout is happening big time!
But it DOESN’T have to be this way! All you need is a little awareness and some practical strategies to claim back some time for yourself. They’re simple, incredibly effective and should be approached as part of a greater process of regaining balance in your life:
(And if you need something to help move your energy while sitting at your desk, click here)
1. Develop a meditation practice.
This is the one thing that I strongly feel will make the biggest difference for you. So often we’re bombarded with cues from our environment, the media, our family and other people. Meditation will reveal to you that there is another way to be other than what you’re used to feeling and thinking. Even experiencing that for just a few minutes a day will give you that taste of freedom that we all can claim when we don’t have other things taking up our attention. The best resource I’ve found personally is Dr Joe Dispenza’s book, ‘Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself’. Dr Joe has a very practical and methodical approach to teaching about the brain and how it works so you can assign meaning to what you’re doing and get better results. There are also many other resources you can find online, such as meditation apps like Headspace and Calm. Find one that resonates with you and DO IT.
The best time to meditate I’ve found is in the morning, but it can be any time as long as you have at least 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted time. It will be one of the toughest but most rewarding things you can do for yourself.
2. SCHEDULE in time to do something enjoyable.
Do something that you love to do and keep it simple. Even if it’s for 5-10 minutes a few times a day. and preferably without a device. Go for a walk, enjoy some sunshine, dance to your favourite song, maybe commit to learning how to do a handstand by piecing out what you need to learn over say 60 days.
Get your body moving in some way! Our body is our animal – as you’d think about taking say your dog for a walk or get some air if you have one at home, think of your body in the same way. You would be amazed at how readily we forget to take care of our own body’s need for movement but if we have a dog, we automatically schedule a walk for them.
3. Find some purpose or meaning in your daily tasks.
Get imaginative here. Find a purpose or a reason that moves you. This may seem silly at first, but it is not. No matter what your task or occupation is, know that you are contributing to someone else’s life in some way. This may be something you need to practice. You practice it by DOING. So use your imagination, get in action and start to transform how you see your work.
4. Have crystal clear boundaries of where and when you work.
Having a clearly delineated workspace and work hours are often overlooked when discussing work-life balance. This sounds simple but very often, especially if you work from home, we internalize subconsciously that we’re somehow ‘available’. Be rigorous about when you work, a set place where you physically work (and do nothing else there) and communicate this with your team or colleagues. If you’re able, have a separate work phone that you DO NOT CHECK after work hours. This way you can separate between work time and other parts of your life.
5. Cultivate the Attitude of Gratitude.
Now you’re probably reading this and thinking: ‘I don’t have that much to be grateful for’; this happened and that happened and there’s this person who is driving me crazy. Understand that when we allow something outside of ourselves to influence how we think and feel, we are victims to our environment instead of our real identity as a Creator.
This is a seminal time in history when everything that we thought was solid and real is starting to fall apart. You can react in fear or see it as an opportunity to do something completely new, free from the constraints of before. And cultivating Gratitude BEFORE something happens is an ultimate act of Creation. Start by putting your hands on your heart and closing your eyes and think about the last time you received something you loved. It doesn’t matter what it is, just use this to feel the EMOTION. Remember what that felt like. Feel your heart beating and breathe into it.
Start to practice this every day – maybe for just 30 seconds at first a couple of times a day and build on this. Practicing positive emotions like Gratitude is a skill you can learn. And the big bonus is that this practice will enhance your immune system in a big way as our thymus gland where our T-cells are made in our body sits right above the heart.
So dive in and implement some of the things I’ve just mentioned. Bear in mind that everything should be approached as a process and that you may cycle back and forth between feeling successful implementing these things to not so much. Don’t give up – keep going and reap the benefits.
