By Sharon Martin (Senior Art Director)
I’m certainly not a life coach, but over the years I’ve learned a little more about the fine art of balancing work and lifestyle. Several years ago, I left a large ad agency to freelance and spend more time with my young children.
Over the course of 7 years as a freelance art director, I learned how to juggle my workload while the kids were at school and still be there to share those “not-to-miss” moments with the family.
Sometimes, the cost was a second work shift after the kids went to bed and into the wee hours, and work during weekends. Bringing my laptop on vacations also became a regular thing. And although I was working on my own terms, the work-life balance was still a bit off.
Plus, included in my new role were account management, traffic, production and billing responsibilities.
For the past several years, though, I’ve been able to refine the work-life balance – surprisingly, while working at an agency.
At Wilde Agency, I’m still able to offer my years of experience and expertise for award-winning clients, but because of a supportive office, I’m able to work a more flexible schedule.
I think the flexibility, mutual respect and understanding provides a healthy work environment and certainly empowers the entire group with the ability to do great work, collaborate, and be mindful of how important work-life balance is to health and well-being.
For me, I’ve learned a few helpful strategies along the way to balance career and the rest of life:
1. FOUR DAYS, OR FIVE SHORTER DAYS, IS THE SWEET SPOT
According to an article on Science Alert, Sweden is moving toward a standard 6-hour workday. Linus Feldt, CEO of Stockholm-based app developer Filimundus, spoke with Adel Peters at Fast Company. He explained that they switched to a 6-hour day last year, and says their staff hasn’t looked back.
“We want to spend more time with our families, we want to learn new things or exercise more. I wanted to see if there could be a way to mix these things,” he said.
Feldt reports that not only has productivity stayed the same, but there are less staff conflicts because people are happier and better rested.
In addition, an article on Healthline states, “Numerous reports and studies have shown that the expected pace put upon the US workforce is to blame for many health issues that… include sleep issues, obesity and an overall weakened immune system.
“Shave off a few hours in the workday, or cut back the workweek by a day, and we could see significant improvements in our physical and mental health. Although it is more of an exception than the norm, there are companies that have implemented a shorter workweek and reported little to no drop in productivity and some said it increased.”
2. FIND A WAY TO EXERCISE
It helps in everything I do, and if I can be outside, even better. Whether it’s a walk, run or boxing class, getting out and being active improves focus, productivity, creativity, sleep and stress.
An article from Berkley’s Greater Good explains “Scientists are beginning to find evidence that being in nature has a profound impact on our brains and our behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety, brooding, and stress, and increase our attention capacity, creativity, and our ability to connect with other people”
A research study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience associates improved divergent and convergent thinking, two major components of creative thinking, with regular exercise.
And one study recently conducted at Stanford found an improvement in creative thinking by an average of 60% when walking vs. sitting.
3. COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Our office respects that everyone has a life outside of work, and with that, comes some flexibility. It is expected, though, that employees communicate to the group when things change and let co-workers know if it might affect their schedules.
4. GET ORGANIZED
Overall, getting organized helps tremendously for those juggling a career and everything else. At work, I have a routine to minimize interruptions by checking email periodically throughout the day, making a prioritized list of active projects, and cleaning and organizing my desk before I leave every night to set me up for a fresh start the next day.
In my household, we share a cloud calendar that’s color coded for each member of the family. We have a What’s for Dinner menu on the fridge to plan meals, and binge-cook dinners and lunches when we can. I’m also a big fan of “To-Do” lists, both in and out of work.
An article from Psychology Today says being organized benefits our “working memory”, makes our time more efficient and improves thinking.
Additionally, there are health benefits from being organized, including a boost in energy, improved eating and sleeping habits, a reduction in stress and potentially lowering your risk of heart attack.
5. MAKE THE BREAK
Being connected to technology sometimes enslaves us to being connected 24/7, thus interrupting the perfect work-life balance.
Unless I’m working remotely, I try to not check my work email at night after 6pm or weekends. I try to silence my phone, so that I’m not a slave to mobile alerts. On my days off, I refuse the urge to check email (although my co-workers know that they can text me in the event of an emergency).
Countries like France, Germany and the UK have expressed interest in having companies limit phone and email access after hours to protect the health and well-being of employees, whose work hours continue to extend due to portable device dependency.
Researchers have found that Tech Dependency – the overuse of mobile phones and other devices – contributes to psychological factors such as low self-esteem, impulsiveness, sensation-seeking and highly extroverted or introverted personality, as well as attachment symptoms and depression. So there’s a real benefit in unplugging.
Finally, no one is perfect. When juggling roles and responsibilities, there are days when things don’t go exactly as planned. Forgive yourself and move forward with a great attitude. Having a sense of humor and positive attitude goes a long way.
The post 5 Strategies To Help Achieve Work-Life Balance Now appeared first on Wilde Agency.
