Tweet

Get your work-life balance right, and BE happier and healthier.

Written by: Gael Drum

Article Overview: Are you taking time away from your work to refuel your energy and motivation? Would you like to feel happier,and be healthier?

Get your work-life balance right, and BE happier and healthier.

Are you taking your annual leave so you’re refuelling your energy and motivation? Getting a healthy work/life balance is detrimental to your happiness and health. A study has shown that 60% of full time employees are not taking their full annual leave. Even though work places are becoming more flexible, people are opting to cash in on their holidays, preferring the money to the time off. Others believe they are too busy to take any time off, or find it too difficult to obtain the leave which suits them. Some people feel too guilty or fear losing their positions if they take their leave. Some would rather save part of their annual leave for future holidays. Some people just simply prefer to work than to take leave. Experts now agree that too much work and too little play is counterproductive as employees get more stressed and tend to take more sick days if they don’t take the breaks their entitled to. A study commissioned by the Department of Industrial relations found there is no specific disease that is related to longer working hours, but that long hours have been linked to lifestyle illnesses including obesity, cardiovascular disease and alcoholism. The most obvious consequence of long working hours is the effects it has on sleep. The affects of inadequate or disturbed sleep is a reduction in alertness and increased fatigue. And, you don’t need to be an expert to know the difficulties people have in maintaining healthy relationships when burdened with long working hours. We have become a workforce of work-a-holics, and reports show we are not even taking the time to plan a holiday. Therefore, it is essential to your happiness and health to create a well balanced work-life. It is a necessity to schedule in short holiday breaks and annual leave to eliminate stress and the severity of your response to stressful events. Take your annual leave and give yourself the time to re-fuel your happiness, energy, motivation and improve your health. • Take time to organize your time off, and to plan your holiday. If you’re not sure what you would like to do on your time off, go through travel magazines and cut out destinations that appeal to you. Create a holiday folder full of fun and exciting things to choose from. This will motivate you to take action. • Re-connect with people who are important to you, and your future. Plan time with friends and family and make time to do something non-work-related which stimulates your mind and activates your happy hormones, endorphins. (Your immune system will thank you) Taking time away from work enables you to look from the outside in to see what you normally cannot see because you are so embroiled in the day to day functioning’s of your work. Time away sparks new inspiration, new ideas and recharges your enthusiasm and purpose to succeed both personally and professionally.

Related Articles
  Step by Step
  Give Up the Myth of Perfect Balance
  Create A Healthier Work Environment and A Unique Customer Experience
  Confidence Is Money
  WorkLife Flexibility Primer: Tips on Making it Happen

Article Tags: alcoholism, alertness, cardiovascular disease, department of industrial relations, fatigue, happiness, healthy relationships, holics, holiday breaks, lifestyle illnesses, motivation, obesity, severity, sick days, stressful events, taking the time, time employees, time off, work life balance, workforce



Related Forum Posts
Worklife Balace - To create balance you have to set priorities and be realistic. When I first started my business I was also working. I worked almost everynight until 3 or 4 am on my business because I just couldn't get any work done until my nocturnal daughter went to sleep by 11:30 pm. After doing this for two years I got so burned out that my productivity and the passion I had for my business plummeted. I also realized I had been doing nothing for me such as exercise. So I made a decision to slow it down a bit. Things will get done that need to get done. It just may take a little while longer. Now me and my family are happier and I am healthier with a lot more energy since adding exercise to my routine and reducing stress. I also use spending time with my family/friends as incentive to get things done. I will work first thing in the morning for a designated period of time (including weekends) and then have the rest of the day free (both mentally and physically). It takes work to consciously be in the moment but you have to take the time to get out of your work headspace so you can come back to it thinking clearly and with more creativity.
Re: Balance - Make time for things you love - Hi Evan, When you priorities are changing and you find time for yourself and your family, you productivity goes up. You are a happier person, more relaxed, and your mind is sharp. i recommend to everyone I know to change their lives and get some balance. I have a day job and an online business. It is hard. But I made the decision to give it only what I can and able to give everyday, and not force myself to do work. At first I felt guilty for not using all my waking hours and working online. Today, I know I made he right decision. Still earning money, not as much as I want, but it's coming, and I am pleased.
Re: Balancing Your Man & Business - This is SOOOO real. . Keeping first things first has kept the balance. First God, then everything else. When I start the day with prayer and meditation, I prioritize better. There are certain things I must do each day in business but I remember to schedule quality time with my mate AND I'm attentive too. I noticed when I don't put God first, I struggle to keep a balance and wonder how we'll add kids to the paradigm. When I do it right EVERYTHING falls into place. Besides that, we BOTH really ENJOY business. We're both self-employed. I like this thread. This has been BIG discussion with us of late. We've both gotten MUCH better. It's no small thing either.
Credit card management - Too many people - usually young people, but it can strike anyone - mismanage their credit cards and end up spending more than half their paycheck each month on credit card bills - and only paying the interest, besides! Don't let this happen to you! Don't carry a balance at all. Pay off your card every month so you don't have to pay interest on the balance. If you can't afford something in one month's payment - save up until you have enough to pay for it. Otherwise, that item you buy will usually end up costing you twice as much again in interest fees.
Re: Why Did You Become An Entrepreneur? - Hey Evan, I would fall within that 42% as I'm one who would rather be my own boss and not take orders from others. However, I guess the main reason would be is that I want to enjoy life and work on my own terms. The flexibility that being an entrepreneur brings is what I like most about it. Plus, it's best if you actually like what you do, and I couldn't be happier.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Unharnessing Creativity in Business

Do You Pretend To Listen To People?

TRADE SHOW FOLLOW-UP: HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.