Work-life balance is a term that refers to the ability to balance one’s personal and professional responsibilities in a way that promotes well-being and satisfaction.
Achieving work-life balance can be challenging for young people, especially those who are starting their careers or pursuing a higher education degree.
However, it is not impossible. Here are some tips to help you find the right balance for your lifestyle and goals.
1. Set Clear Boundaries and Expectations
One of the main sources of stress and conflict in attaining a work-life balance is the lack of clarity and communication between you and your employer, colleagues, family, friends, and yourself.
To avoid misunderstandings and resentment, you must establish and communicate your boundaries and expectations regarding your work hours, availability, workload, deadlines, and priorities.
You also need to respect the boundaries and expectations of others and negotiate when necessary.
2. Manage Your Time and Energy
Another key factor in work-life balance is how you use your time and energy.
You need to plan your schedule ahead of time and allocate enough time for your work tasks, personal projects, hobbies, social activities, and self-care.
You must also prioritize your tasks based on their urgency and importance and delegate or outsource when possible.
Moreover, you must monitor your energy levels throughout the day and adjust your activities accordingly.
For example, you can do the most demanding tasks when you are most alert and energized and save the less critical ones for later.
3. Seek Support and Feedback
You don’t have to achieve work-life balance on your own.
You can seek support and feedback from your manager, mentor, coach, peers, family, friends, or professional services.
They can offer advice, guidance, encouragement, accountability, or practical help when needed.
You can also share with them your experiences, the challenges you face, the successes you have had, and what you’ve learned so far.
4. Be Flexible and Adaptable
Work-life balance is not a fixed state you can achieve once and for all.
It is a dynamic process that requires constant adjustment and adaptation to changing circumstances and needs.
You must be flexible and adaptable to cope with unexpected events, opportunities, or challenges in your work or personal life.
You must also be open to trying new things, learning new skills, or exploring new possibilities that can enrich your life.
5. Celebrate Your Achievements and Enjoy life
Finally, work-life balance is about managing responsibilities and obligations, enjoying life, and celebrating achievements.
You must acknowledge and appreciate your progress in your work or personal goals and reward yourself for your efforts.
You also need to make time for fun, relaxation, recreation, and pleasure in your life.
You can do things that make you happy, such as spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, travelling, or volunteering.
Introducing Youthful Project
Work-life balance is something everyone is looking forward to having while starting a professional career. However, the reality of the job, various circumstances, or life itself are always there, raising barriers to work-life balance.
That’s when projects like Youthful come into play to help stop the work and personal life imbalance from worsening. Youthful is using an innovative approach by teaching young people mindfulness through a specially designed curriculum for youth workers and a web application to disseminate their knowledge.
This approach is expected to have the best results as it uses digital media, which are more engaging and effective in targeting the younger populations of society.
Stay tuned to the Youthful project, and don’t miss our updates on the mindfulness curriculum for youth workers and the web application we’ll create with our partners soon.