Did you know that about 190 billion dollars are spent yearly in the US to address the psychological and physical effects of burnout?

The amalgamation of technology has blurred the boundaries between social & work life. Emails, meetings, social media consumption eat up most of our time knowingly or unknowingly. Often with the pressure to achieve our targets, meet deadlines, or get that assured promotion, we turn a blind eye to our well-being. The remote working scenario has brought work home for real. Thus, making it a struggle for employees to find the strike balance between work and social-personal life.

But wait. Even before the pandemic hit the world, how close were you to finding the spell to attain the far-fledged dream of work-life balance?

While some companies take sincere steps to ensure the well-being of their teams, the responsibility lies in our hands to make this attainable dream come true. The CSR program, health, and wellness programs organized by our corporations aim to get our minds and bodies out of the cubicles. But it is a matter of personal choice and knowledge to draw the subtle and clear boundary between work and life. 

The struggle to manage the two affects our respective lives. It also can take a toll on our productivity, engagement, physical and mental health. Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and colleagues found that people who log long hours are about 12% more likely to become heavy drinkers. Another research suggested that white-collar job professionals that worked 10 hours/ day are 60% more likely to have heart-related diseases than the ones who worked for 7 hours/day. 

Hey, don't worry if you think you fall in the same category as above. The good news is that we have a way out! 

By practicing the below, over time, we can vouch for your improved better work-life:

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1.Choose your workplace wisely 

"Only 23% of companies believe they are promoting work-life balance." -Deloitte.

Well, the number is surprisingly small. So choose prudently. 

The primary aspect of work-life balance lies in the organization we work for. Some companies falsely promote employee well-being. A brief background check before joining an organization should be your standard.The values and work culture of the company should somewhat align with your expectation from the organization.The knowledge and passion imparted by the company culture might give you an idea of their mission. Some interactions with the present employees and staff will help you get an insight on the company culture and the real employee engagement. This will make you work ready and will also lead you to take a wise decision.   

2.Set boundaries & track your time

According to a study by software company ResuceTime, 26% of work is done outside of regular working hours. Over time, pending tasks and greed might be various reasons you walk those extra miles. This forms one of the key reasons for the disruption of work-life balance. To avoid this, you should set boundaries for work and log the work hours. By practicing this habit, you will get a clear understanding of your investment of time. Once you can conclude doing the above, you can plan the rest of your day as per your choice. 

3.Plan your day out

If you have a clear timeline of our day, you will be able to schedule your tasks better. This will help you to increase performance and also productivity as a whole. The possibility of loopholes decreases the amount of stress and anxiety an employee faces. Bottle too offers a feature called day planner wherein you can create a  to-do list for the day. Isn't it cool to have a one-stop solution for work and time management?

To sum it up, having a schedule for each day will make your work as smooth as silk. 

4.Eat, sleep, unplug, repeat!

Imagine waking up to the noise of the gusting river flowing amid the snow-capped mountains. A simplistic breakfast, few loved ones, and no work pressure!

I melted with the thought of it. Didn't you?

Taking time off for ourselves should be an occasional treat. Going on vacations, indulging in hobbies, or volunteering gives us a sense of joy. These actives help us realize the fact that there's a world beyond the cubicles of the office. Once in few months, a vacation with near ones should be on your list. This getaway will fuel your energy and bring back any lost motivation. Meditation and mindfulness exercises also form a good way to unplug ourselves daily. 

5.Health is Wealth

Did you know working out releases happy hormones?

Exercising is a mood booster as it releases endorphins. By taking care of your health not will you do well physically and mentally but also will boost your stamina, make you more productive, engaged and happy. Make it a routine for exercising at least three times a week. Along with physical exercises, eat good and healthy food. The type of food we intake is essential because our body and mind function from the energy extracted from the food consumed. Sleep also plays an important role in regulating a healthy lifestyle. Make small steps to achieve these changes, and it will do wonders. 

Conclusion:

Though there's no such thing as an ideal work-life balance, we can put in efforts to reach closer to our goals. This can be achieved by bringing changes in our lifestyle as mentioned above. The main motive also lies in improving our everyday lives by adapting to methods that aim at bettering wellbeing. Health, relationships and  work life can go hand in hand by mindful planning approach and organization. The enterprises should in turn encourage wellness programs, paid and unpaid leaves, and CSR activities. They can also adopt the usage of technological tools like Bottle which forms a one stop solution to work, time and employee management. 

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