Hey there! Clarity Claire here with an update you don’t want to miss!
2023 is in full swing… Have you made any “New Year’s resolutions” or goals you want to achieve throughout the year? I know I have!
The start of a new year is the perfect time to evaluate all of the areas in your life and see where you could make room for improvement. It’s also important to recognize the areas in your life where you already excel and to build in time to celebrate the hard work you completed to get to that point.
After all, what fun is life if you don’t stop to smell the roses?!
While there are many great goals you could set, one goal should always remain at the top of your list: find an optimal balance between your personal life and your professional life. But navigating a successful work-life balance looks different for every individual.
Let’s take a look at what it means to have a true work-life balance and the benefits it provides to your physical and mental health.
What is a Work-Life Balance?
According to Oracle, work-life balance is described as “how an organization's workforce prioritizes their personal and professional activities.”
Now, the definition of an “ideal” work-life balance definitely varies from employee to employee and organization to organization. But at its core, the concept of a work-life balance is to ensure that you are comfortable managing your time and responsibilities as they arise across the various areas of your life.
With current advancements in technology and the increased availability to work from home, the topic of work-life balance is so critical as the lines between “home” and “work” become harder to decipher. To better safeguard their time, many employees are beginning to prioritize their time over any other workplace benefit, so it’s now more important than ever to ensure you clearly define your own work-life balance.
(Your mental health will thank you!)
Why is Finding a Work-Life Balance Important?
If you’re like me, you’ve probably had days where you feel so overwhelmed with work that it may impact your personal life at home. This overload of work can lead to employee burnout… (GASP!)
Employee burnout is “a state of emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue at work. Burnout happens when employees feel overwhelmed by the amount of stress they're experiencing in their jobs.” It’s a very real and serious issue for many employees in a variety of industries, especially during periods of significant shift like what we’ve seen over the last few years.
To combat burnout, employers should consider evaluating their operations on an organizational level to determine the cause of burnout and develop positive steps toward fostering better working environments. On the employee level, it’s so important for your mental and physical health to step back and evaluate your work-life balance, set clear goals and appreciate the joys of life.
Finding the right balance that works for you in your overall life will help you create and maintain healthy work habits that make the day-to-day more manageable. Additionally, a positive work-life balance can also help lower stress, improve your mood and even strengthen your relationships.
I don’t know about you… but that sounds pretty good to me!
Tips to Improve your Work-Life Balance and Celebrate Life
If you aren’t quite sure how to start defining your optimal work-life balance, don’t worry! I’m kind of an expert 😉. Even the smallest of steps can have a big impact on the balance in your life.
To start, consider adjusting your work schedule to incorporate time to support your mental or physical health. That could mean scheduling time for a quick walk on your lunch or blocking out 15 minutes on your calendar every day to practice deep breathing, call a relative, or do any activity that can help boost your mood and make your day a little more well-rounded.
Then while you’re at home, make an effort to be present (physically and mentally). Whenever possible, try to keep your work notifications on silent. Being present in your personal life will help you celebrate life’s joyful moments and create positive memories that you can cherish and look forward to while on the clock the next day.
By making just a few simple changes to your daily routine, you can get closer to the balance you wish to achieve across your personal and professional life. Leaving more room to relish in all the joys of life!
Celebrating Life’s Unique Moments
At Clarity Benefit Solutions, we take work-life balance very seriously. To us, it means more than just a trend or buzzword. It’s an intentional commitment we make to our employees and our clients to show that we care and recognize that their lives are more complex than we may ever truly understand.
To accommodate that complexity, it’s important that we create a culture that prioritizes stepping back from our busy lives to appreciate our existence and champion simplicity in all we do. Clarity is committed to supporting you through all of your stages of life so that you can focus on celebrating what makes you, you!
Our suite of benefit solutions is designed to ease the frustration that comes along with benefits by offering state-of-the-art technology and service that puts you in control. We take care of the details so you can focus on finding the right balance in your life.
Well, time for me to run… I’m scheduled for my midday self-care walk! Thanks for jumping into this conversation with me and I hope your work-life balance journey is off to a great start!
Be well!
-Clarity Claire
