Above is an illustration depicting work-life balance. When referring to this balance in the context of work and life, I believe it is not a myth. Before you scream, hear me out.
Balance in this case where both sides of the scale are on a level would mean that your work and personal life get the required attention from you. Take a deeper look, do you think that is impossible? If you still don’t agree with me, let’s do quick math (no need to be scared, it’s the simplest arithmetic). Assuming you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week on average. You resume at 8 am and close at 4 pm every day, don’t take work calls outside work, and entertain work-related thoughts. It puts you at 40hrs per week.
This illustration assumes you work from home and don’t have to factor in your commute time. You clock in at 8 am, get every task required done, and clock out at exactly 4 pm, leaving all thoughts of work behind. Here is a perfect scenario, you have your perfect work-life balance and have enough time for yourself and the things you love the rest of the time. You even have your entire weekend to yourself.
Dear freelancer, is that your life I just described? I am almost certain the answer is no. I know you’ve said you are no longer talking to clients during the weekend but how about the worksheets you spend your weekend preparing? Does that not categorize as work? Your typical work day starts at 8 am because you’re a freelancer and work from home. You go from 8 am till exhaustion beckons. Between talking to clients and creating, you find that you spend literally your entire day working. This is the point where you ask how to achieve the balance I have spoken about earlier.
Work makes for a greater part of our lives, and for many, it gives a purpose, a means of sustenance.
Now that you’ve recognized and agreed with me that work-life balance is not a myth, how about we look at ways through which we can achieve this balance? Ways you can have a healthy relationship between your work and personal life.
Ways to Achieve a Work-Life Balance
- Have a hobby
- Especially as a freelancer, have a designated workspace
- Have a strict resumption and closing time.
- Dedicate at least a day in the weekend to yourself.
- Block out periods in your calendar to go off within a year.
- Set boundaries with your clients
- Have reflective moments.
- Keep your phone away during personal times such as during meals.
- Be disciplined and ready to put in the work
Have a hobby
Sometimes, people spend a lot of time working because they don’t know how to do anything else. Work is where they feel grounded the most, so they do it all the time. Having a healthy hobby gives you something you enjoy doing that keeps you grounded and helps relax you. Hobbies like painting, drawing, singing, dancing, fishing, knitting, pottery, cooking, writing, gardening, etc. These activities engage your mind and help you recharge. You don’t even have to be good at them, you just have to enjoy doing them and fall in love with the process, with time you would definitely get better.
Have a designated workspace
There’s nothing that signals to your brain that it’s time to work better than getting off the bed. I know you work from home and it feels so good to recline on your bed and do the work you have to, the comfort! However, this doesn’t allow your body to pick up the difference between work and pleasure, the line is blurred. Having a workspace puts you in the mood, formats your brain to think about work once you’re in the space, and pleasure, once you’re out. Be disciplined enough to only work in your workspace and leave work out once you’re out of the workspace.
Have a strict resumption and closing time
Even though it is not a 9 to 5, and you’re your own boss, having a 9 to 5 helps you plan for other areas of your life outside work. For example, you’ve made the decision to resume by 8 and close by 5. It would mean that once it’s 5 you round up on work, and give time to other aspects of your life. For days when you have a lot that would require you to stay beyond, set a time that cannot be exceeded. For example, it can be something like; for days when I have a huge workload which shouldn’t be more frequent than 4 days every month, I can’t stay beyond 10 pm. Sticking with this would help separate work hours from personal hours.
Dedicate at least a day on the weekend to yourself
For a lot of people, the weekend is the relief period after a long week but for others, it’s a time to catch up on work. While this cannot be completely eliminated, dedicating a section of your weekend to just you would help you get the much-needed rest. It could be you decide to only use Saturday for work catch up, and not to do anything about work on Sunday till 6 pm. Thia period comes what may, is blocked out for you and your personal affairs.
Block out periods in your calendar within a year to go off work
According to the labor law in Nigeria, every employee is entitled to at least 6 days of paid annual leave after being with a company for at least 12 months. Being a freelancer shouldn’t make you neglect this. While it is easy to work every day of the week for an entire year, be deliberate about the time of the year to go off and leave work behind.
Set boundaries with your clients
For anybody’s peace of mind, boundaries are very important. For you as a freelancer, setting boundaries is a necessity. Boundaries such as contact hours, number of revisions, contact medium, etc help you structure relationships with your client and stop them from interfering outside work hours.
Have reflective moments
Reflective moments help you take stock of where you are, and areas to improve upon. Incorporating this into your routine would help you catch yourself when you start to go off the path and swing excessively toward work than your personal affairs.
Keep your phone away
Despite clamoring for a balance, if you’re not careful, the time you have for yourself might not still be utilized for activities that would relax you or for spending time with your loved ones. Try to keep your phone away during your personal moments such as mealtime, reflective time, and the time you spend with your loved ones so you can be truly present in the moment.
Be disciplined and ready to put in the work
Giving tips is one of the easiest things in the world, you can read as many tips as possible but if you’re not ready to put in the necessary work, the tips are useless. Be disciplined and committed to trying to strike a balance between your work and personal life. Make the decisions on things you want to cut out or accommodate, and have the conviction to stand by your decision.
You must remember that you can only work for so long, and at some point in life, you will be forced to retire from work. At this point, what you would be left with is your investment in yourself and in the relationships around you. So while you have the opportunity now, nurture yourself and your relationships so you can get the returns when it is time. Cultivate a healthy work-life balance.
You either be deliberate about your break from work or the break is decided for you forcefully by your body.
Bye for now,
Alexis.
