5 tips to help you achieve work-life balance

Trying to juggle competing priorities is a recipe for burnout. It’s essential to know what is most important to you right now. Is it progressing in your career, or is it spending time with your family? Use this time over the end-of-year break to consider what’s most important to you, then put together an action plan to help you stick to it. If it’s climbing the ladder at work, talk to your manager about how you can progress your career. If it’s spending more time with family, ensure you don’t check your emails after hours.

‘Task batching’ is a time-management tool that minimises distractions and maximises concentration. You do it by grouping similar tasks to complete during a block of time, which creates room to focus on the task at hand, rather than jumping between notifications, emails, and sidebar conversations. Think about when you’re most productive, creative, passionate or motivated, and line up tasks to do during those times. 

When you are capable and competent, you tend to become the go-to person for things that need to get done. While that’s a great reflection of your character, you may also run the risk of taking on too much.

Saying no can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be with a “no sandwich”. This technique helps you say no with gratitude, kindness and without burning any bridges.

You do it by validating the asker’s request, saying no, and then suggesting a solution or leaving the door open for future work. So, a “no sandwich” might look like this: “Oh wow, that's a great opportunity. While I'd love to consider leading [Project X], I don't have capacity to take this on. You might want to approach [insert the name of anybody else].” Easy!

At AIA, we know first-hand the importance of work-life balance and now offer flexible arrangements that work for everyone. Having constructive conversations will help you on your way to reaching a middle ground that works for both you and your employer. If something is impacting your work-life balance, the sooner you can address it through a constructive conversation, the better. There is a simple five-step framework for having a constructive work conversation.

1. Get your manager’s permission to have a chat
2. Share the observation you’ve noticed
3. Share the impact it has on you
4. Open it up for discussion
5. Make your recommendations

This is how it might look: “Can we talk about the text message you sent me yesterday? I received it at 6am and it was in all caps. It made me feel uncomfortable and gave me the impression I need to be available at that time. What can we do to prevent this? From now on, I would prefer you hold off on texting unless it’s urgent, but I will aim to respond to your requests within the first hour of the working day.”

Exercise is one of the first things we abandon when we feel overwhelmed or out of whack. But exercise is magical, and a fantastic mood regulator, and is great for our mental wellness. It reduces the stress hormones in our bodies (like adrenalin and cortisol) that arise when we are feeling anxious. It also stimulates endorphins, which are natural mood boosters, which can result in a happier, more resilient you.

Working out can bring a great sense of balance to your day, and it can be a problem-solving tool. Getting out of the office and away from screens could provide just the breakthrough you need to solve that issue you haven’t been able to nut out while staring at your computer.

This Content Hub article has some more great tips on how to navigate workplace issues.

When it comes to work-life balance, it’s important to remember there is no one-size-fits-all solution. What works for you one week might not work the next. The key is prioritising yourself, constantly striving for balance and finding what energises you. What makes you excited and happy can only do good things for the relationships in your life – both personally and professionally.