Work-life balance

Work-life balance is the relationship between your work and the rest of your life. It’s not just about achieving an equal balance between both areas, it's more complex than that. The right balance for you may favour one area of your life over the other. And this may change over time or depend on what stage you’re at in life. For example, if you’re just starting out in your career, you might be looking for quite a different work-life balance than if you’ve got young children.

Work-life balance means different things to each of us, so it’s hard to generalise about what the ‘right’ balance is. It really depends on you finding how best your work commitments and your lifestyle fit together. 

Maybe you regularly stay at work late, take work home or find yourself thinking about unfinished tasks when you should be doing other things. While this works for some people, for lots of us it can disrupt our personal lives and squeeze out time for other activities. 

A survey from the Mental Health Foundation found that 40% of respondents were neglecting aspects of their personal life because of work. When this happens it can cause problems for your physical and mental health as well as your relationships and your home life. So if you recognise some of these signs it’s important you take action.

Signs your work-life balance may be off kilter

• You wear the title of ‘busy’ like it’s a badge
• You’ve found yourself giving up on exercise 
• You’re regularly snacking on junk food to fuel your day
• You’ve been neglecting your social life or your responsibilities at home
• You’re bringing work home, working late or putting in hours on days when you shouldn’t be 
• You’re irritable, anxious or stressed most days
• You feel exhausted a lot of the time

You might like to keep distinct boundaries between your work and your personal life. Or you might prefer to mix up the two in a way that’s convenient. For example, you may be relaxed about when and where you work to give yourself more freedom to do personal activities at times that suit you. Or if you’re caring for a family member, you may find doing flexible hours or working from home lets you care for them more easily. 

There’s no one best way. Work-life balance is a very personal thing and only you can determine what works best.