Fighting Work Fatigue: How to Achieve Work-Life Balance

Smartphones, applications like Zoom or social networks allow us to be more connected than ever. From a professional perspective, this connectivity gives us more flexibility and allows us to work from anywhere. For example, we can have a work meeting on the train, contact colleagues remotely, or work in any time zone… The options are endless.

At talent place we focus on offering the best experience for our staff. This includes making sure each team member is willing and able to create a healthy work-life balance.

But this flexibility and freedom can also be a barrier to disconnecting from work. If we are always available, and we do not differentiate personal and work life, when do we recharge our batteries?

Several reports agree on the radical increase in stress levels at work. According to the World Health Organization, workers are experiencing an excessive and unmanageable burden of stress, due to high demands and changes in the work environment. Consequently, mental health problems, including work fatigue, are on the rise.

Work-life balance is something we all know, and it has never been more important than now. Because it especially addresses what we were talking about:  how to achieve a balance between a constant connection to work and the need to recharge energy and enjoy our personal lives.

It is certainly easier said than done. And the responsibility lies with both the employee himself and the employer. Today we are going to focus on some strategies that employees can carry out to take control of the situation and balance their live.

Although we know that it is easier said than done, we firmly believe that taking this small step in the right direction is already worth it. Go for it.

1. Manage your time

One way to better manage your time is  to block spaces on your calendar . You can allocate this time to specific tasks, such as finishing a certain project or preparing for your next meeting.

But it can also be  ‘proactive blocks’  to cover tasks such as checking the mail for 30 minutes every morning or giving ourselves an hour a week for issues that arise unexpectedly.

Reserving spaces in the calendar allows you to focus on certain tasks during a specific time,  preventing others from ‘filling’  your own calendar with meetings or other tasks. It is also interesting to mark ‘overtime’ , to give yourself the time and space you need in the face of unexpected tasks or out-of-control projects that can turn the day upside down.

In this process, you can rely on time management applications like Todoist. It works like a to-do list with built-in time management. In this way, you can keep track of what you need to do and how long it will take to do it.

2. Learn to say ‘NO’

This tip goes hand in hand with managing your time. Managing your real capacity, and saying ‘no’  when you don’t have time, is a fundamental part of your battle against overloaded shifts.

Saying yes when you know you don’t have time is a bad decision, in which you are the first to lose. If you don’t have the ability to pull something off, you just don’t have it. There’s no more.

Being realistic with the time available is only the first step. Second, and just as important, is communicating it . Tell it to your colleagues, bosses, or any other person with whom you have a working relationship, so that everyone is clear.

Together you will assess possible solutions, such as hiring freelancers to lighten your workload. Or share with your manager or the team what tasks should be prioritized.

Prioritizing in this way will help you say no to less important things on your to-do list. Also making sure that you are investing your time in what is really important at that moment.

3. Actively separate from work

It doesn’t matter if you work at home, in the office, in a coffee shop around the corner… Setting specific stop and start times will help you actively separate yourself from work.

It can be difficult when you work from home (because your office is literally on it). It is also complicated if you have work email or chat applications installed on your mobile. But it has to be done.

Setting a real off time means stopping reading emails or checking Slack ‘just in case’, until your new active work period begins.

Even if you have a flexible schedule. Imagine that you stop at five in the afternoon to spend time with your family, and come back at nine in the evening. Separating from work implies not working under any circumstances from the time you stop until the time you start again.

When you are constantly thinking about work during off hours, we are depriving our minds – and our bodies – of the opportunity to relax and recharge our batteries.

4. Reserve time for physical activity

We know we have to do it, but most of us don’t do it enough. Having time to exercise our body is key to dealing with stress and reducing its negative effects on the body and mind.

Running in the morning or stretching in the afternoon can take time away from your work schedule. But you will return with renewed energy to face your next task.

5. Ask for help

Last but not least: ask for help if you need it! Stress isolates us and can make us feel that we are alone. But the reality is that all of us experience periods of increased stress on a regular basis.

Access all available resources. From your co-workers and bosses to asking for help at work or from psychologists. It’s like going to the health services when you break a bone: something smart and necessary.

Also, remember that prevention is always better than treatment. If you feel overwhelmed ask for help as soon as possible instead of waiting until it’s too late.

We also try to provide various benefits related to wellness, such as assistance to go to the gym, 28 days of vacation, and resources to take care of our physical and mental health.