How to improve your work-life balance

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A good work-life balance has benefits for employee and organisation. But how do you ensure a good balance? Especially now that the line between work and private life is blurred by working from home? Read our tips.

Constantly having ten tabs open, an email habit in the evenings, eating lunch glued to your screen and not being able to take your mind off work. These are all signs that your work-life balance isn’t great. So how do you work towards a solution? And how do you prevent burnout?

'Benefits of a good work-life balance? Employees generally feel more motivated, creative and achieve goals more easily.'

Improve your work-life balance with the following tips

Would you like to create a better balance for yourself so that you can contribute optimally both at work and in your private life? It’s ultimately up to you to create a healthy work-life balance. The practical tips below offer the guidance you need to start improving your work-life balance.

1. Discuss the topic of a healthy work-life balance

An important condition for a good work-life balance is a sense of psychological safety at work. This boils down to daring to express yourself without the fear of negative consequences.

It also means that you are able to indicate when something is too much and when the balance is not right. Of course, being able to communicate (and recognise) this requires some personal leadership.

Did you know that research shows that if people can express themselves freely, this has a direct impact on the performance of the team or organisation?

2. Do something you’re good at

Easier said than done: Do what you like and what you are good at and a work-life balance follows.

It is important to be well aware of which result areas belong to your job and also which ones, in particular, do not. Sometimes result areas are not clearly defined and you may be given tasks that do not quite fit your job.

Overview and clarity in result areas provides peace of mind. You know what is expected and you know you can meet it. So you can prevent stress and burn-outs.

The RPA-Cube is an assessment that provides valuable insights into the result areas of a job or team. Placing these insights in the context of the organisation reveals which skills are needed to achieve the best results within a particular function.

It also gives you insights into strategic workforce planning and possible causes of burnout. It contributes to a more effective flow of employees and a more efficient recruitment and selection procedure.

3. Learn what drains your energy and what gives you energy

Do you know what makes your energy flow and what drains and burns you out? Discover how you recharge your battery by identifying which tasks energise you and which activities, circumstances or people cost you a lot of energy.

Do you notice that most tasks take away your energy and disturb your work-life balance? Then it is important to point this out in time and see how you can take on more tasks that do give you energy.

4. Enough rest and exercise prevents stress and burnout

Did you know that many people who have already experienced burnout are at risk of getting one again? Often, going over one’s own limits again is the culprit. That is why it is a good idea to keep an eye on symptoms and potential overload.

Experiment and find out what works best for you to stay balanced. For example, you could express your limits more often at work and try stress-reducing activities like yoga or mindfulness.

Improve work-life balance with training or coaching

Ensuring a high level of work-life balance can help you avoid stress and burnout. People who report having a good balance are generally more productive and motivated to achieve goals.

Do you have too many tasks? Or is it unclear exactly what you need to do, then this can cause some degree of stress. Over time, this can manifest itself in burnout.

There are several ways you can prevent this yourself, but a manager also has a part to play. There are various training courses, as well as coaches who can offer guidance in finding and ensuring a work-life balance.