For years, American workers have heard the term “work-life balance”. The concept paints the ideal of each worker’s ability to find a state of equilibrium where they equally prioritize the demands of their career and personal life. Like anything in life, finding balance is hard, especially regarding work.
Everyone knows a workaholic, someone who spends more time working than their personal life can support. These people, typically comprised of Generation X and Boomers, find fulfillment from work but often sacrifice personal relationships to achieve their success. The concept of “work-life balance” or even “mental health” does not mean the same to them the way it does to Millennials and Gen Zers who work from home, in coffee shops, or on vacation. In their defense, the world was different when they entered the workforce. There were different expectations and fewer conveniences like hybrid technology. Additionally, social norms around work were different and there were fewer work styles to model. Given different circumstances, older generations may have subscribed to today’s hybrid work environment and thrived there.
The problem in today’s workforce, however, is one of mental health, which is inextricably linked to the concept of work-life balance. So, if the success of a company lies on its employee’s mental health at work and by extension, their work-life balance, it is important to ask, is work-life balance achievable?
Is Work-Life Balance Achievable?
While the term “perfect work-life balance” is most likely unattainable, many people find ways to effectively manage their time and energy to create a healthy balance. An important thing to note is that balance does not necessarily mean equal division of time between work and personal life. Rather, balance is unique to the daily rhythm that fits each person.
Balance, however, does not come easily. Jobs inherently require experiencing long hours, heavy workloads, and high-stress situations at some point in time. It is not financially responsible for people to quit their jobs whenever they experience something stressful. It certainly does not make them into more mature, well-functioning adults to do so. Therefore, how do you find balance when work is out of balance?
Above all, you have to safeguard your mental health, meaning, you have to develop mental fortitude.
Ways to Improve Work-Life Balance Through Taking Action
- Recognize that things change. While you may be in a tough season of work or life, it will not be like that forever.
- Be Assertive. If you dislike something about your work situation, schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss the problem. Provide solutions for how you could improve the situation and ask for help.
- Understand that sometimes succeeding in work means slacking in other areas of your life. Plan ahead when you know life is going to be busy and put in the time at home or with friends when you can and communicate clearly when you can’t.
- Set timelines and boundaries. You can do anything for two weeks. Beyond that, make a plan for how to remedy your situation.
- Change your mindset and get creative. Sometimes situations take longer to change than you might prefer. You can choose to be bitter about it, or you can focus on things you can do and get creative with ways to still have fun.
- Remember, there is always another way. Every problem has a solution; it just may look different than you anticipated. Your solutions could look like developing a hybrid work plan with your employer, changing your hours to accommodate raising a family or changing your job description. It could even look like changing jobs if that is best. Never be afraid to advocate for yourself or look at the situation from a different angle.
Work-life balance is a personal journey. It is not achievable unless you are not willing to do the work to create the balance you desire. But once you put the work in to create your best work-life situation, you and your mental health will be better for it.
For more like this, read our blog: 5 Ways AV Supports Employee Wellbeing
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