Balance Work and Health

Though the boundaries between work and home life used to be quite clear, in the past decades they've become increasingly blurred due to fear of lay-offs, mobile communications, and social media. For many, balancing work and health has become extremely challenging and, when work takes up the bulk of their time without any respite from responsibilities and worries, they become overstressed and eventually sick. However, with smart planning, learning to say no, and learning healthy habits, balancing work and health doesn't have to be all that difficult. The following steps will show you how to balance work and health.

Steps

Evaluating Your Workload

1. Estimate how much time you're spending at work or occupied with work when you're not at your workplace. If you can't make an accurate estimate, take a week to note down all the hours that you're occupied with work.
2. Consider what effect your high workload is having on you.
   • If you're extremely tired all the time, this will adversely affect your ability to be productive at work and can compromise your career due to underachieving.
   • If you always work extra hours, you might be in line for a promotion and salary raise�but if this leads to even more hours, balancing work and health will become even more difficult.
   • If you're always working, you'll probably miss a lot of family events, which in turn takes its toll on your family life. Your family will feel neglected and you might feel left out.
3. Determine how much time you spend at work doing things that aren't necessarily constructive, such as social networking, talking to co-workers about unrelated topics, or writing personal emails. Estimate how much time you'd spend working productively by eliminate these distractions, and make up your mind to do so.
4. Speak to your supervisor about taking measures that would make your job less stressful, such as sharing tasks with others at work. Determine whether your manager's expectations are unrealistic or whether you're setting imaginary expectations for yourself.
5. Learn to say no when you're already facing a full workload. Whether it's heading a new project at work or supervising an event at your child's school, don't agree to do it unless you have time and are rested.
   • Take small steps towards working less. For instance, if you're a salaried employee and usually work 60+ hour weeks signing off at 8PM, try to leave at 7:30PM instead.

Taking Care of Yourself

1. Schedule family time each week. You need to spend quality time with those you love, so make sure you turn your phone off and leave the laptop at home so you don't feel as if you're on call during your leisure time.
2. Set aside at least an hour a week to do something you enjoy. Everybody has an activity they enjoy, whether it's reading or shopping, that allows them to relax without thinking of responsibilities. Making time for yourself will help you relax more.
3. Exercise regularly. Though it might seem impossible if you have a family and a demanding job, spending even as little as 30 minutes a day exercising will boost your energy levels and increase your overall health.

Related Articles

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References

See also

• Learn About Asbestos Legislation
• Avoid Germs at the Office
• Lift and Carry a Baby
• Find Alternatives to Sitting in a Desk
• Do Yoga at Your Computer
• Sue for Asbestos Exposure
• Put on a Cleanroom Suit
• Obtain OSHA Reports
• Measure Work Safety
• Maintain Workplace Safety

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