10 Tips for a Balanced Work Week
The days of snoozing your alarm clock before work are long gone. For many, it’s been replaced by an instantaneous panic of rushing to get ready and out the door before suddenly being at work again. Sometimes the days blur. You come into work feeling like you never left and by the time Friday rolls around, you’re completely exhausted. In fact, you’re exhausted every day after work. It’s no surprise that this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified burnout as a syndrome.
We hear about balance all the time but struggle with prioritizing work and personal life. The goal is not about achieving a balanced life all-together but rather, finding balance in each of your days. So how exactly do we achieve balance and how can we apply that to our busy work weeks?
Here are 10 tips to achieving balance — and I’m happy to tell you that most of them involve your self-care.
Schedule your week ahead: as much as you don’t want to open your laptop on Sunday, you will be grateful you took the 10 minutes to schedule out your life on your calendar. This also gives you a reminder of what you have coming up and where you can squeeze in other things. Maybe you didn't notice you have a deadline Friday and need to push it or that your daughter’s dance recital is Thursday night and you need to pencil in time to grab her a gift. Having an idea of what your week involves, helps you plan for any uncertainties.
Make a list of work-related projects: start each day tackling your largest project. If it has a long deadline, set blocks on your calendar at the beginning of each day to get some of it done. When working on a project, I use a lighter version of the Pomodoro Technique of working 25 minutes on and off with 5–10 minute breaks in between.
Create a self-care morning routine: instead of rushing to work, get up an hour early to eat breakfast, meditate, workout or stretch. Make it a point not to scroll through Instagram when you wake up and do something that fulfills you instead. Maybe that’s spending an hour on the couch sipping coffee with your roommate or having breakfast with your family. Starting the day with a positive mind leads to a positive attitude.
Move your body: we all know exercise is important but not everyone has time to get to the gym or their favorite class during the week. The great thing is, exercise can include stretching in the morning or going for a 15 minute walk after dinner. The point is to move your body because we use only our minds the majority of the week at work. Our bodies need love too and a short stretch or jog goes a long way. When working out, pay attention to what hurts and breathe into those areas.
Plan to cross 1–2 personal tasks off your list: sometimes the work week is so busy, we don’t make it to our personal tasks. Set time on your calendar to get 1–2 things on your personal list done. The feeling of being productive in your personal life will add value to your work one.
Commit to chill out time: set at least two nights on your calendar during the work week to relax. This means you’re literally doing nothing except something that involves relaxing — whether that’s watching Netflix, journaling, meditating or reading one chapter out of a book. It’s time you’re taking for yourself and you looked forward to that week. Chilling out clears headspace making for a more productive work week.
Eat nutritiously: eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. What this means is that you’re fueling your body with foods and liquids that replenish and energize you versus ones that don’t. Look to Instagram or Pinterest for quick recipe ideas. Two of my favorite accounts are @rabbitandwolves and @theyummyplant. Eating adequately can raise your productivity by 20% on average, according to WHO.
Tidy up your space: clutter can make productivity difficult, according to a 2011 study by Princeton University. Our brains like organization because it’s the way it compartmentalizes. Keeping your home and work spaces clean and organized is essential. But the act of tidying up can be therapeutic for many. Just like cooking or painting, it makes us feel connected to ourselves in the moment and productive.
Be social: schedule a night on your calendar during the work week and not the weekend, to invite someone over for dinner, see a movie with your significant other or head to happy hour with friends. Doing something that doesn't involve work or home is a great way to break up your week. It’s easy to feel trapped by the feeling of needing to be productive since you’re already in that mindset. Shifting the energy back to yourself will make you more present and focused for the week.
Create a self-care night routine: going to bed feeling like you accomplished something — even if that’s just brushing your teeth, is an achievement. Having a nightly self-care routine is one of the most important things you can do to relax and set yourself up for success the next day. My routine usually includes, listening to a podcast (currently: Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday Conversations), making dinner, face masks, stretching and a combination of reading, writing or watching TV. If you’re a late worker, try and combine the best of two worlds. Answer a few emails with the face mask on and a glass of wine.
