Work life balance how do you manage?

You can adopt many tactics to help manage work-life balance. But the best tips are to get out of the house, schedule breaks, take your lunch outside, etc. I have worked remotely for almost two years and am still working remotely. It is tough at times, but I truly believe in it and enjoy the freedom it brings.

Set work blocks in your calendar, and try to go for a daily walk. But it's pretty hard to be focused and, on the flip side, when to turn it off

I try and get into routines that I do each day in order to help me maintain some discipline

start going to the gym... the rest falls in place

Here are my two cents: - Have a to-do list for the day. It encourages you to work more productively and get more work done in fewer hours. - Have a morning routine that doesn't involve working. A quick workout is a great idea. - Have a life. By that I mean spending time outside with friends or family. Having life commitment pushes you to have work-life balance. - Start a hobby that you do more or less regularly. Singing or dancing classes are great options. - Have more or less fixed working hours even if you work remotely.

I take a couple of short tea/coffee breaks; chit-chat (remotely) with my co-workers and play some games to freshen my mind.

Hi Marina, remote work which I have done for over 10 years definitely contributes to a work/life balance. Here's what else I do. - I try to have my work station in one place in the house (currently have a spare bedroom office) and although I take my computer and sit at different places to get a change of scenery. Once I have finished for the day the office door closes with my stuff in it. - I dont use my mac for leisure. So it becomes just a work machine, no streaming or browsing outside of work hours. - After I finish work I try and do an activity like exercise to break the energy flow of the day. - If I start losing concentration during the day I change the task that I'm doing to something a little more monotonous (if I'm trying to think) or vice versa. - I sometimes (learnt in pilates) stand on a ball like a tennis ball and put my weight on the ball whilst massaging the foot. It's supposed to be as good as coffee for a wake up which I wouldn't say is that good but it definitely helps. - After work I do try and connect with the things and people I love so I realise why im doing the work after all Obviously there are days when I do have to work in the evening and Im happy to do so but I try not to make it a routine. Plus I have a 2 year so you have to be present and make time for them.

"Here are my two cents: - Have a to-do list for the day. It encourages you to work more productively and get more work done in fewer hours. - Have a morning routine that doesn't involve working. A quick workout is a great idea. - Have a life. By that I mean spending time outside with friends or family. Having life commitment pushes you to have work-life balance. - Start a hobby that you do more or less regularly. Singing or dancing classes are great options. - Have more or less fixed working hours even if you work remotely. "

Hi, Marina, Your question made me recall an analogy I heard years ago from my manager. It was about a table with 3 legs - those are known to be the most stable. It's supposed to represent the perfect balance of our lives - each leg standing for work, family and leisure. Back then, I thought to myself, my table simply doesn't have any legs. It's all flat like a surfboard - just go with the flow and do whatever you can at the time to stay afloat. However, she was right. I guess, I was in some sort of survival mode and simply didn't know a better way to get my life on track. I wasn't thriving, far from it. But it took me to hit the rock bottom of burnout and depression to realise I needed change. So I took a conscious approach to life and step by step started to assemble my table. Structure, healthy boundaries, prioritising have all been important stepping stones. My table is still work in progress, but at least it has legs to lean on and I have something to aspire to. I guess, my biggest take away from this experience was to build a life I don't need to escape from, which simply means choosing careers, people and activities that fulfil me instead of draining. It's possible to reach balance, if the different areas of one's life don't contradict each other, but compliment and support each other instead. Otherwise we try to accomplish the impossible. The number one problem for work - life balance could be that we're simply stuck in environments that doesn´t support us. That's why I would say we all should examine our environment first and see if it's even realistic and beneficial to balance certain areas. Toxic workplaces, abusive marriages, uninspired routines will all just drain us no matter how hard we try to tackle them. They are usually not worth the effort. Additionally, there might be other challenges, like childbirth, care of a sick family member, processing a grief or loss, chronic illness, mental illness, addictions, etc. In those instances, we are not supposed to carry the load alone, but ask for and let in support from others. And once we are there, everything starts to fall into place. Company we work for embraces the same values and supports our growth and wellbeing. Our private life is pleasant and keeps us in a good mood and healthy. Our leisure times help us recharge and give us more drive. It will never be perfect, but it will be interconnected in a positive way.