Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is difficult when you’re unable to turn off. While some work/life balance issues may be caused by outside forces, there is another possibility that your own actions could be contributing to the work-related stresses you’re feeling. If you just can’t resist checking your e-mail after you get home, if the conversation always turns to work, and if you are getting professional push notifications while you’re supposed to be enjoying family time, these are all indicators that you could be throwing off the balance yourself.
Learning how to turn off is an extremely important part of maintaining a work/life balance, and it’s not something any professional should feel guilty about doing. In order to be the best professional that you can be, you need to nurture your own personal and spiritual sides as well. Without taking this time out for yourself guilt-free, you may find yourself suffering from burnout and you might find it difficult to lead compassionately for yourself and for your team.
Some different ways you can keep your work/life balance in check include:
• Keep your 8×8 Phones separate – When you add work-related applications, e-mails, and correspondences to your personal phone, you’re participating in the lack of balance between your personal and professional lives. Your work phone should be used for work purposes, but your personal phone should be kept personal. When you’re home, take care to put the work phone away.
• Control the work conversation – Venting is natural, and some talk of your day at work is a normal thing to do. However, if you find that your work is dominating the conversation, it might be time to steer it in another direction. Not only are you reliving your workday over and over again at home, you’re also taking valuable conversation time away from loved ones.
• Practice meditation and mindfulness – Just a few minutes of meditation after you get home can mean a great deal to your work/life balance. This is your time to regroup, reset, and go from your professional self to your at-home self.
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