Tips to effectively juggle your work-life balance

As your workload increases, it can become increasingly difficult to switch off and head home at the end of the work day. Struggling to complete the day’s tasks within the normal eight hours dedicated to an employer is not an uncommon problem, but is a trend that needs to be addressed.

If you’ve found yourself leaving the office later than usual, or logging back into your work account after dinner, you may begin to notice the ill effects of a poor work-life balance. Devoting too much time to business can impact on many aspects of your life, including your relationships with family, your moods and even your productivity at work.

This means that the more time you dedicate to your job, the less work you will actually get done – leading to a need to increase the hours you spend on the clock. It’s a troubling cycle of cause and effect that can only be broken by you.

If you’ve been struggling to juggle your increasing workload and personal life, here are three key tips to help you work more effectively and switch off when necessary.

Sync your calendars

While many overworked employees add business tasks to their personal calendars in order to keep track of these important duties, most would not consider including events such as family dinners and dates with their partners to their work schedules.

However, keeping these occasions in mind during the workday can remind you of the need to leave the office on time, increasing productivity and your determination to get work completed by the end of the day.

Switch off your phone

If your phone is set up to alert you when calendar events approach, emails are received or social media sites are updated, it’s a good idea to keep your device switched off or tucked away as much as possible, both at home and at work.

Whether distracting you from your work during the day or reminding you of the office in the evenings, these alerts generally do more harm than good.

Invest in time management training

Choosing to invest in time management training is an effective way to ensure you are able to complete your daily to-do list and leave the office at a reasonable time. By reducing the number of minutes wasted on poor time management, you should be able to take your mind off work sooner, increasing the amount of time you can dedicate to your personal life.