8 Life-Affirming Benefits of Work Life Balance
⚠️ Buzz word alert!!
It seems like everyone is talking about work-life balance these days.
But… what does it really mean? And how does work life balance benefit you practically?
It might seem obvious that a balanced, stable, and healthy lifestyle is a good thing. In reality, though, it's not always easy to manage a routine filled with commitments to work, family, housekeeping, and friends. You might try your best to squeeze as many activities and tasks as possible into our schedule, yet always feel like you never really have time to enjoy things fully. Creating an intentional balance in all of our activities is essentially the meaning of work-life balance - and it can totally transform your daily life.
Because employers are beginning to understand the true value of encouraging work-life balance, the mainstream discussion of this elusive goal tends to focus on the work side of the equation, as if work and life are equal parts of a whole.
PSA: work is a part of life.
The truth is that the primary goal of a good work-life balance is to decrease the negative effects that chronic, work-related stress has on our daily life.
As much as we may love what we do for a living, it’s more often that our commitments to work interfere with the life we want to live than the other way around. In this article, learn about the legit benefits that work-life balance can bring to your life.
What Does Work-Life Balance Really Mean?
Life is full of responsibilities. Committing to too many activities means working longer hours, oftentimes without realizing that you’re simply putting too much on your plates. And yet it always feels like you never have time for loved ones or yourself because you just have very hectic work schedules. At times, you may try to focus on work - but then can't help but find yourself continuously distracted by the attention your friends and family are demanding.
Most of the time, however, we end up prioritizing our job over everything else in our lives.
As a consequence, you just end up overloading yourself with things and stress out - possibly even burn out! It goes without saying that creating a harmonious work-life balance can be of the utmost importance for us because it allows us to gain better management of our time while improving our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
Essentially, the work-life balance theory is based on the idea of promoting a positive equilibrium between work and home. When you create a schedule that fits your routine, the trick is to think about the ideal way to achieve balance both at work and in our personal life.
Work-life balance isn’t really about the number of hours you spend in each area of life, but rather the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to fully enjoy your personal life!
Benefits of Work-Life Balance
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is not only important for your overall health and wellbeing - it’s also critical for our relationships. Work-life balance helps you carve out more time and headspace for the people that really matter to you. It can also improve productivity and performance in the workplace. On top of that, there's also some research to back up this theory, as a recent study found that those who have an effective work-life balance tend to be significantly happier in their private life and more productive and stimulated in their workplace. ¹
The bottom line is that those who know how to have an overall better work-life balance are truly happier and more satisfied with both elements of their life, hence thriving in both areas! The real kicker is that work-life balance benefits both employees and employers. A work environment that prioritizes work-life balance, allows employers to maintain a healthier and more productive environment where all the employees can feel motivated and engaged. Let's now revise all the benefits that work-life balance can have for both employees and employers:
1. Less stress.
When you regularly work long hours, stress can accumulate over time, triggering burnout. These days, burnout is unfortunately common nowadays. Nearly 3 in 5 employees reported negative effects from work-related stress. ² So that's why a good work-life balance can be great for your mental health because it reduces the risks of medical conditions while allowing us to have overall healthier and happier lives.
2. More effective time management.
When we have a better balance between our private and work life we also get a better grip on our time. So no more "I don't have time for this and that". Because when we can manage our time more effectively we will always find the time we need to attend to personal or work matters without sacrificing either of them!
3. Focus on physical health.
When you overwork, you accumulate stress and jeopardize your health as a consequence. Having a poor work-life balance can lead to a variety of diseases that range from the flu to serious health conditions like high blood pressure, strokes, and respiratory problems.
4. Less FOMO.
Those who work overtime share one thing; they just end up missing out on things. As we said, prioritizing either your work or your private life will always put you in the uncomfortable position of choosing. Whether we're talking about a night out with friends or that unmissable party, there’s always time to actually have a life outside of work, and when you have a good balance between work and your personal life you'll never feel that so-called FOMO.
5. More mindful presence.
When you find and maintain a healthy work-life balance, you develop greater control over your ability to focus. And with greater focus, you can fully concentrate on whatever you’re doing, without any distractions.
In short, you'll be more present and focused not only on what you are doing in a precise moment but also on what's really good and meaningful in your life. Mindfulness helps you slow down the pace of your life, almost as though you were pressing the "pause" button of your day.
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6. Healthier relationships.
When you overwork, you also get to spend less time with loved ones. It's almost like you’re physically there, but your mind is just still fixed on work-related issues. This implies that not only we'll spend less time with the people we love, but it also means that we're spending less quality time with them too. A balanced lifestyle instead, translates into more time with family and friends that will also be of a higher, more meaningful quality.
7. Purposeful productivity.
When employees have a better work-life balance, they are more motivated and productive. So it goes without saying that a better work-life balance benefits employees as well as employers. A company needs its employees to be productive but oftentimes we tend to think that working more means being more productive. While is actually the other way around. That’s where the work-life balance comes into play: if an employee’s work-life balance is steady, say for example if you give your employees the chance to have more flexible working hours you'll get to encourage them, hence making them more productive and able to achieve more with their working day.
8. Group engagement and participation.
This is also closely related to the previous point. When employees are more productive they also feel more motivated because they'll feel part of a team that works together towards a specific goal. This way you'll get significantly higher employee engagement which naturally leads to reduced absenteeism!
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Silaban, Hana, and Meily Margaretha. “The Impact Work-Life Balance toward Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention: Study of Millennial Employees in Bandung City, Indonesia.” International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development 7 7, no. 3 (August 1, 2021): 18–26. https://doi.org/10.18775/ijied.1849-7551-7020.2015.73.2002.
Abramson, Ashley. “Burnout and Stress Are Everywhere.” Https://Www.Apa.Org, n.d. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/01/special-burnout-stress.