Embracing a Healthy Work-Life Balance

It's easy to get off balance and out of rhythm as we try to manage our lives and strike a good work-life balance. A lack of self-control can cause every area of our lives to seem out of control. Healthy spiritual, mental, and physical well-being is important. Working from home, it's easy to pick up the computer and work after hours. It may seem innocent, but the more work-life impedes and interferes with my personal life, the easier it is for me to become unbalanced, allowing my work to become an idol. Mondays are the least productive day of the week for many of us because we have so much to do to catch up from the weekend or complete prominent tasks that fall at the beginning of our weekly routines. Pursuing a practical and productive work-life balance is a common struggle, but there is hope. Here are some ways that have helped me to strike a good healthy work-life balance:

Set Boundaries

Set good boundaries. Boundaries were a difficult topic for me to master. It was easy to allow people to cross over the line and will enable them to cross my boundaries. It helped to analyze what a balanced work-life looked like to gain a proper perspective on where boundaries needed to be. Realizing I was my best self in the morning, I set a goal to work between the earlier hours of the day, between 8 am and 12 pm. The more manageable tasks of the day fit perfectly in the afternoon hours because they absorb less concentration when I begin to get tired.

Time Management

Incentives for needed breaks throughout the day contribute positively to morale. For example, I take a break to watch a TV show or make a snack to eat if I've been at the computer for too long. Personally, my body tends to need a break about every two hours. Knowing this and working with my natural rhythms help me to be the most productive version of myself. After every couple of hours, I get up from the computer to make a snack before returning for the rest of the work day. I am more productive by giving myself shorter goals to accomplish throughout the day. I know I only have to sit at my computer for a certain amount of time before a much-needed and dually rewarded respite. 

Screen Breaks

After a specific time in the evening, I enforce a mandatory screen break. Sometimes, I'll use the extra hours to get ahead for the week. I typically stop working after 5:00 pm, which allows me to rest physically and mentally, begin my nighttime routine, and get a head start to a good night's sleep. Good boundaries, time management, and taking breaks throughout the day help me embrace the break from work at night. I get more done and feel more secure putting down the computer at the end of a long day. If I waste a lot of time and fall short on tasks throughout the workday, it's harder to resist working late into the evening to compensate. When I fall short during the workday, it motivates me to focus during my 4-hour workday window. 

4. Enjoy Relationships

Relationships are essential for good health and well-being. I use that window after five to enjoy the people in my life. I read a book alongside or talk to my husband and catch up with the day's news. We bond as a family, and it allows time to unwind or learn something new. Making time to catch up with family and friends daily is good for our souls. We were not meant to live alone! 

Hobbies

Hobbies are important to fostering our unique personalities and finding commonality with others who share the same interests. I collect 80s memorabilia! At night, I unwind by browsing eBay. On the weekends, I often go to thrift shops and yard sales, hunting for any 80s treasures I may have missed. Having a hobby I enjoy helps me relax and take my mind off the issues plaguing me throughout the work week.

Prioritize

Since I work best during the early hours of the day, I slate difficult tasks for the morning. While there are moments I dread doing this, getting the most challenging parts of my workday completed before lunchtime motivates me. It brings God honor when we manage our time wisely. Luke 12:48 says, 

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Being a good steward of our time honors God and produces the joy and peace of accomplishing a good, productive workday. 

Focus Aids

Background noise from music or TV helps me from being distracted while writing. Although this may sound impossible to many people who can't multitask, it helps hone my wandering mind. Some people like to move environments while working, shifting from indoors to outdoors or different locations altogether. Air pods or headphones aid some people as they work. Others may prefer silence to achieve their ultimate productively. Having lunch with a friend may fill a social tank that allows us to be the most productive version of ourselves. Posting motivational sayings and goals within eyesight might remind us of the benefits of focused attention to our work. Find the aid which helps encourage concentrated focus.

Scheduled Vacations

Take planned vacations. Although every year's different in terms of finances, God always doubles my productivity after I've had an appropriate time to rest. Schedule days off before burnout sets in. God rested from all His work on the seventh day. If He knows rest is needed and beneficial for a healthy work-life balance, then we should also practice standard resting patterns. I've learned over the years that I have a hard time resting. Sometimes it takes me several days to wind down from everything I've been doing. When I'm constantly distracted, I get a blank journal, and I write down all the things on my mind. It eases my temperament to know these thoughts, tasks, and goals are written down. Although we don't need to travel to have a vacation, it is best when we have a chance to break out of our normal routine to experience a change in scenery. It can help bring new focus and closeness to the Lord and allow our minds to relax and unwind from the stress of our everyday schedules and workflows. 

Striking a work-life balance is not always easy, but it is possible. God created us all uniquely, meaning how we work and do life will also differ. It's important not to compare what works for us with what benefits others. Stand firmly in the boundaries and workflows which are most productive for you. In every situation where I have rested appropriately, God has given me more work and opportunities to serve Him. When I have stewarded my time and body in a way that honors Him, rest and peace follow. If I yield my day's doings to the spirit, I know everything I accomplish is not simply about completing tasks on a to-do list but serving God so that I can be an instrument to proclaim the gospel.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Delmaine Donson

Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award-winning author, speaker, pastor's wife, and mother. She is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services and a certified writing coach. Her new children’s book Hall of Faith encourages kids to understand God can be trusted. When not working, she enjoys sipping a Starbucks latte, collecting 80s memorabilia, and spending time with her family and her crazy dog. For more info, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.