Top Ten Tips For Maintaining A Work-Life Balance As A Millennial

Having a work-life balance is majorly important for millennials who feel the pressure when entering the working world all guns blazing after a stressful year. 

As a student, maintaining a work-life balance can be extremely difficult – and entering into full time employment is no different.

Work-life balance is essentially realising how to manage your workload and personal life side by side, which can be demanding when there’s a lot of pressure on you to succeed in your career.

Consequently, I have compiled some of my top tips on how to feel fulfilled in your career whilst enjoying your personal life as the world returns to normality.

1. Know when to take a break

This can be challenging when work is constantly on your mind but it’s important to realise when it’s time to stop replying to emails. Taking short breaks in the daytime or having days off at the weekend can be beneficial and improves concentration during working hours.

2. Do some exercise

Staying active doesn’t necessarily mean you have to run 10K or start doing HIIT workouts – a leisurely walk or a half an hour yoga class can still do the trick. Exercise has so many benefits, from improving sleep to reducing stress levels. Slotting exercise into your working day ensures you’re focusing on something outside of work, even for a short time. This also improves productivity when you do return to your desk.

3. Schedule time to see friends & family

This point is arguably one of the most important. Spending time with your loved ones is a brilliant distraction and it also gives you the opportunity to talk about anything you might be concerned about.

Work-life balance means you should always be able to make time during the week for a coffee or a catch-up to take your mind off any daily stress or simply spend time with those you care about.

4. Turn off your phone

This sounds simpler than it actually is, especially with everything being online at the moment. Having your phone or laptop on full-time means there will always be a temptation to check your emails or reply to WhatsApp messages. Turning off your phone to spend time doing something you enjoy can be extremely beneficial, even if it’s only for an hour.

5. Stop comparing yourself to others

With social media only growing in popularity, it’s now easier than ever to look people up online and compare their life to yours. It’s crucial not to be put off by how hard other people seem to be working and putting yourself down – remember, the online world allows people to present exactly what they want other people to see and only reveal the best version of themselves.

6. Get a planner

I know it seems old-fashioned now that everyone schedules meetings and classes online, but having a planner or diary can be very beneficial. Scheduling time for specific activities allows you to make time for yourself alongside working hard during the week.

It also shows you how much time you’re committing to work or studying in comparison to how much free time you have, allowing yourself to make amendments.

7. Schedule your sleep

Having a good night’s sleep can actually really impact your week. Not having enough sleep or having a disrupted night’s sleep means you’re less likely to be able to concentrate or feel more stressed the following day.

Staying up late working or reading emails reduces your ability to sleep well and simultaneously means you have less time for yourself, creating an uneven work-life balance. Spend the time before you go to sleep reading or meditating – do something unrelated to work.

8. Make time for holidays

Having something to look forward to can motivate you to succeed in your job. Knowing that you have a holiday or break in two days, two weeks, or even two months can give you something to focus on and plan for in your free time.

9. Set yourself goals – but don’t worry about them

Setting yourself goals allows you to see what you want to achieve. Working towards a goal can be motivating, increasing productivity. It’s also nice to feel a sense of achievement after reaching a goal you worked towards.

In spite of this, it’s important to realise when your goals may be unattainable, or when you won’t be able to achieve your goals as quickly as you imagined. This isn’t something to feel ashamed of and you can always make amendments!

Coming out of education and into the working world is a learning process and you should always allow yourself time for reflection. Having a goal doesn’t mean you need to spend all your time working towards it – you need to allows yourself to rest.

10. Reduce distractions during working hours

Having set yourself specific hours in which to work, you should do everything possible to make this time productive. Ensure you’re working in an environment in which you feel relaxed, which isn’t too loud and where you will thrive.

While some people prefer working in an office, others prefer their bed – and that’s totally fine, as long as you know you’re working well.

Being productive during working hours allows you to relax more in your free time, helping you to maintain a successful work-life balance.

Isabel Murphy

Featured image courtesy of Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.