Work-Life SOS: Finding Work-Life Balance That Works for You

It can sometimes feel like our work-life balance is completely out of control, with too much time spent on one feeling like it's having a negative impact on the other, which just ultimately leads to more stress.

 

Niamh, how can we assess our work-life balance and ultimately take back control? Hello, hello, and welcome back to The Better Workday Podcast. How are you doing?

 

Today, I'm talking about a topic that speaks to all of us at one stage or another: work-life balance.

 

Have you ever reached the end of the working week, looked back, and thought, "I've barely taken care of myself or anything except work this week"? You're not alone. And the truth is, work-life balance isn't just a buzzword. It's a real challenge for so many people I talk to.

 

Now, I want to start by saying that work-life balance could mean that you feel that you're spending too much time at work and not enough time in the other areas of your life.

 

But it also could be the other way around, and it totally depends on your personal circumstances, your working situation, and the season that you're in.

 

So work-life balance is a very personal thing. In this episode, I am calling it Work-Life SOS because sometimes I think life does feel a little bit out of control, doesn't it?

 

But the good news is, of course, there are ways that we can press pause, assess the situation, and make some changes to improve things.

 

So here's what I'm going to cover today. First of all, I'm going to look at why imbalance happens. What pulls your time, attention, and energy in those opposing directions?

 

Next, I'm going to guide you through a quick exercise to assess your own situation. So if you are at a desk, grab a pen, a notebook. If you're not at a desk, you might want to listen back to this later on.

 

And finally, we're going to look at key steps to start rebalancing your life without jumping into total upheaval. Okay, let's get into it.

 

First things first. Why does life feel so off balance sometimes? For most of us, it boils down to three things: time, attention, and energy.

 

Let me explain. First of all, time. Have you ever had a week where late nights at work meant you had no family dinners or you missed certain meetups with your friends, and it can feel like no matter how long you're working, there's always something left undone?

 

Or maybe it's, number two, attention. And this is a big thing. So maybe your evening looks like this. Your dinner starts, but halfway through, you're scrolling through emails under the table or you're mentally preparing for tomorrow's meeting.

 

So you're physically there, but mentally, you're anywhere but in that room. And maybe if that's not it, it could be energy.

 

And this is the one that hits close to home for me. It's where always I struggled in the past, and I still struggle occasionally. And that's when you give 110% at work, but by the weekend, you're a zombie, and you're too tired to enjoy all the other areas of your life.

 

And recognizing these drivers, whether it's time, attention, or energy, is such an important first step. And look, I think it's also reassuring when you realize it's not just you.

 

Everyone I speak to has challenges in finding the balance between all the different areas of their lives that are important to them.

 

Feeling off balance is normal. It's part of the human experience. Understanding why it happens, though, is key to finding the solution. So now that I've touched on the main drivers of the imbalance, it's time to look at where the problem lies in your life.

 

It's time for a little bit of self-reflection. I want you to take a couple of moments and think about this. What's being pushed aside in your life right now?

 

Maybe it's quality time with your family. Maybe it's exercising. Maybe it's getting the business you want to start off the ground. Or maybe it's just even time to sit down and relax without distractions.

 

So here's a checklist. Again, you can write it down or have a mental checklist to help you understand where your imbalance might be coming from. Are certain relationships feeling neglected?

 

Do you feel stuck in a cycle of being always tired or constantly stressed? What's been sitting on your to-do list for weeks because you can't seem to find the time?

 

Once you've answered these questions, just try mapping out: Is it a time management problem? Do you feel that there's not enough hours in the day? Is attention the issue? So does your brain feel on even when you're supposed to be off? By the way, that's me sometimes.

 

Or is it an energy problem? Do you feel just too drained to give energy to anything outside of work or the main thing that's taking up your day?

 

Now, what's good for this is journaling, writing down not only what you do each day, but also how you feel about it.

 

It can be an eye-opener for finding patterns in where and why your balance feels off. And for years, I was a bit skeptical about journaling. Honestly, I used to say, "I don't have the time."

 

There we go. But, you know, when things do feel tight for me, um, or if I feel, uh, under a lot of I do journal for just three to five minutes, and pressure, that always helps. It really, really does.

 

And once you know where the issue lies, it becomes so much easier to start making some small changes. So if you've done the reflection and you've identified some problem areas, what do you do next?

 

As you know, if you know me already, I'm not into completely overhauling your life. I know it's not practical, it's not feasible, and it won't last.

 

So what we're going to do is we're going to, yes, look at big changes, but start from some small, practical steps.

 

Number one, if it's a time issue, block off even 30 minutes a day for what matters most. And that's personal to you. It could be dinner with your family, a quiet walk by yourself, writing a blog post, preparing for, uh, an important presentation, reading a book, whatever it is.

 

If you feel like you can't find 30 minutes, bring that down to 15.If you can't find 15 minutes, I suggest you log your time or track your time for a week to see what's pulling you into different directions and make some decisions about what can be deprioritized at the moment.

 

Now, if it's an attention issue, start small by setting some boundaries. So, for example, turning off email notifications after dinner or setting a do not disturb for one hour during your working day.

 

If you struggle to not think about work, what I like to do is a verbal brain dump, so I'll send myself a voice note or record a voice note for myself and get all my thoughts and all my worries and all my ideas out, and then I feel I'm more able to pay attention to the place I'm in or the situation I'm in right now.

 

And finally, if it's an energy problem, please remember, it's not selfish to rest. Start by taking some micro breaks during the day, maybe going to bed 15 minutes earlier or, you know, even for me, I find that looking at how much water I'm drinking during the day is also a very practical step that makes a big difference.

 

So again, just be observant, take a look at your day and say, "How can I better care for myself during this day?"

 

Step number two is ask for support. Nobody does it all alone. Ask for help or delegate where you can. That could be at work, it could be at home.

 

It doesn't have to be a big thing that you get help with. Sometimes help with the small things is just as good. Be open with your team or your manager about workload stressors if that's an issue for you. You'd be surprised how much people don't know about what's going on on your desk.

 

And then outside of work, you know, if you have a good support network, friends and family, don't be afraid to talk. First of all, you might find that they're struggling like you and then again you feel like you're not the only one, and then you might be able to help each other out in ways that you wouldn't be able to do if you didn't have a chat.

 

And step three is keep a journal. I mentioned this already, but reflecting each day or even a couple times a week really does help you notice patterns and track progress.

 

Just write down how your time felt spent, what gave you energy, and what drained you. If you're struggling with this, these are the three prompts I use when, you know, the creative juices just aren't flowing.

 

It's what worked well? What didn't work well? What could I do better tomorrow? You know, like, really simple.

 

And look, the goal is just to learn, not to be perfect. Now, these are three steps, but remember, balance isn't a step-by-step formula, okay? It's about progress and you doing what you can in your situation in your life at the moment, and every small step you take adds up.

 

All right, before I let you go, here is a quick recap of what I covered today. There are three main drivers of imbalance: time, attention, and energy. It's not all about the time.

 

And assessing the why behind your imbalance is a key first step, and when you take action by asking for help or reflecting more regularly will help you build better balance over time.

 

Now, life will... I don't think it will ever feel perfectly balanced, and that's okay. Look, just like there's no perfect workday, there's no perfect day or week overall. That's why we always look to be better, and small changes really can bring you closer to a life that feels aligned with what really matters to you.

 

Now, if this episode was helpful, please don't keep it to yourself. Share it with a friend or coworker who might benefit from it.

 

Make sure to subscribe to The Better Workday Podcast for more tips and ideas, and if you have any suggestions or your own stories about work-life balance, please reach out to me. I'd love to hear from you.

 

Until next time, stay well and have a better workday. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you enjoyed this episode. The Better Workday Podcast is about helping you have a better workday, so we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.

 

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