What do you do if your work-life balance is negatively impacting your job satisfaction and happiness?

A great way to approach this, is following the first two steps of the GROW model, that is Goal and Reality. In terms of goal, check in with your personal priorities in life as well as at work: What is important to you right now? Which aspects of your (work-)life have the highest priority right now? What is falling short? Secondly, assess your current situation in regards of these aspects: What are the root causes of this problem? What is in the way of achieving your goal of setting the right priorities for example? What are the things that once made you happy at work? Once you assessed your current situation and you are clear about your priorities, you can start to think about opportunities for change.

Assess your workload and identify areas where tasks can be delegated, streamlined, or prioritized differently to free up personal time.

Plusieurs fois, je me suis retrouvé dans cette situation et à chaque fois la même démarche salutaire : Evaluer la situation : « comment en suis-je arrivé là? ». « Quelles sont mes options pour sortir de cette situation ? ». Voici autant que questions utiles pour mettre en place ce qu’on appelle un « assessment ».

Identify Stressors: Pinpoint specific aspects of work or personal life causing imbalance and stress Seek Support: Reach out to supervisors, colleagues, or HR for assistance in addressing workload issues or exploring flexible work arrangements Prioritize Well-Being: Focus on self-care, mental health, and setting boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance Communicate Needs: Openly communicate with employers about concerns regarding workload, flexibility, or support needed to improve job satisfaction Reflect on Values: Reflect on personal values and goals to ensure alignment between work responsibilities and overall life satisfaction

There are two exercises that can help here: 1. Wheel of life - write down the 8 most important areas of your life and give yourself a score of between 1 - 10 on how you feel you're doing in each areas. Then write down why you've given that score. Then define for yourself what the ideal is for each segment - the 10 out of 10. Have a look at how close or how far off you are 2. Ideal vs. Reality exercise - here think of your ideal life and prioritise the top 5 areas of your ideal life in order of importance to your ideal picture. Then write down the top 5 things you're actually spending your time, energy and focus on. Notice what's the same and what's different between your ideal life and your reality.

When your work-life balance starts affecting your job satisfaction and overall happiness, it’s essential to set clear boundaries. Defining boundaries means clearly outlining your work hours, breaks and personal time. Create a mental separation between work and leisure resisting to check work emails or messages during your personal time. Don't offer to do someone else's work when asked. You have the right to say no if it imposes more work overload on you. Prioritize self-care by allocating time for self-care activities, whether it’s exercise, hobbies or spending time with loved ones. Communicate these boundaries to your colleagues and supervisors. Remember that it’s okay to say no when necessary.

Mon étape préférée : se fixer des limites. Votre santé mentale s’en trouve améliorée. Dans le cadre du travail on a tous nos impératifs personnels qui rentrent en ligne de compte. En ce qui me concerne, je consacre mon temps libre à ma famille car en fin de compte, ce sont les personnes avec lesquelles on passe le moins de temps au fil du temps. C’est pour moi quelque chose de « non négociable » désormais et je suis fier de pouvoir m’en tenir. Aucune injonction, ne sera assez forte pour m’en défaire. Chacun ses priorités.

Create Physical Separation: Designate a dedicated workspace at home to create a psychological distinction between work and personal life. Keep work-related items out of personal spaces to minimize the temptation to work outside designated hours Set Technology Boundaries: Establish guidelines for device usage outside of working hours to prevent technology from blurring the line between work and personal life Prioritize Self-Care: Make time for relaxation, hobbies, exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating outside of work hours to recharge and maintain well-being

As work and personal life are becoming more integrated, it's important to determine your priorities and set boundaries accordingly. This ensures that you can maintain your priorities in both areas of your life. Identify your non-negotiables, the things that you'll never compromise on, like having dinner with your family or attending a weekly sports session. Some boundaries may be more subtle, such as staying true to your values and ethics. To set appropriate boundaries, you must be aware of your values and beliefs, as well as your personal terms and conditions.

Here you need to clear on what's driving your current (im)balance? Do you have to work like you do? Who says you do? What assumptions are you making in your life that are leading to your current choices. What beliefs are driving your behaviour? For example do you believe that you HAVE TO work hard to succeed? how is that belief impacting your choices and boundaries?

Not all tasks and actions are equal Here the Eisenhower Urgent - Important matrix can be very useful. You take all the things on your To Do list and place them in 1 of 4 quadrants: Urgent and important - do now tasks (try to minimise these) Urgent & not important - can these be delegated? Not urgent and important - when can you schedule these? Not urgent and not important - why are you doing these?

Le sens des priorités et une certaine forme d’acuité seront les principaux axes sur lesquels il faudra se pencher. La matrice d’Eisenhower sera notre meilleur alliée dans cette démarche.

The prioritization of tasks inevitable comes with the challenge of setting up your calendar. Make sure to respect these three points when planning your work day or week: 1. Match your calendar with your energy level: if you are more creative in the evening than in the morning, block some time accordingly; if you are more focused in the mornings, do urgent tasks or those that require a high focus in the morning 2. Schedule in time to rest: Block away time in the morning, noon and evening to regain energy 3. Be stubborn on your non-negotiables: Saying Yes to one task or activity means saying No to another one; therefore be strict on your high-priority tasks Mastering your calendar is key to maintaining a healthy work-life integration.

I use the pomodoro method which is to set a timer of 20-25min (for me it's 47min) and in this period of time I am fully focused on the tasks I have to accomplish. At the end of the period, we have a break time of 5 minutes and at the end of 4 sessions we can take a longer break. I said I have a period of 47min because that's the ideal length for me. I found it by iteration because 20min was too often short

J'utilise la méthode pomodoro qui est de mettre un timer de 20-25min (moi c'est 47min) et dans ce laps de temps je suis full focus sur les tâches que j'ai à accomplir. A la fin de la période, nous avons un temps de pause de 5min et à la fin de 4 sessions nous pouvons prendre une pause plus grande. J'ai dit que j'ai une période de 47min car c'est la durée idéale pour moi. je l'ai trouvé par itération car 20min était trop souvent courte.

It's tempting to believe that working more increases productivity and leads to greater job satisfaction. However, these are all myths. True satisfaction and happiness stem from self-love and understanding your own desires and motivations. This requires a relaxed mind, which is where planned downtime comes in. Have you ever done back-to-back reps at the gym? Without breaks, muscles fatigue quickly, hindering strength gains. Hence, we take breaks for recovery, fostering muscle growth. Similarly, if you work without breaks, fatigue sets in, impeding productivity and overall well-being. Without maintaining your own well-being, no amount of work efficiency or pleasing others can bring true satisfaction or happiness.

Les pauses sont « sous-cotées ». These ones are completely underrated. Pour ainsi dire, même une pause de 5 minutes permet de se régénérer l’esprit. En ce qui me concerne, je fais de petites pauses durant lesquelles je lève les yeux de l’écran afin de le recentrer l’esprit.

Part of a mindful productivity practice is scheduling downtimes and moments to recharge. More is not always more, and you won´t function better or achieve results faster just because you do more. Acknowledge your battery status and listen to your body signals. Make use of your resources e.g. going for a walk, having a bite, meditating or doing some body movement. Being productive includes taking breaks and allowing yourself to wind down when necessary, so be more productive :)

I find reflecting on our work-life balance is of vital importance!! Are the changes you made helping? Do you feel happier at work and in life? By thinking about this, we can adjust and find what works best for you. It's a journey, but with commitment and knowing yourself, you can have a balanced and fulfilling life....

When reflecting on your current state, it is important to consider the following points: - Knowing your resources: What activities drain your energy and what activities help regain it? - Respecting your priorities: It is necessary to allow yourself to say "no" to things that are not a priority for you at the moment. - Kindness: Be kind to yourself and understand that you are not a robot. It's okay to take a break and rest. - Happiness is multidimensional: Happiness is not created by just one action. It is a multidimensional state of being in which various aspects of your life are well-aligned.

It’s important to be mindful about our work / life balance. Sometimes our work starts out as ‘our life’. But over the years it’s common for us to use our work to ‘build’ a better life outside of our career. In my case this became a wonderful place that I wanted to leave less and less - going to work became a chore. So I changed what I did for a living and how I did it, in a way that allowed me the work / life balance that was right for me. My wife works with me, travels with me, overnights in posh hotels with me - we dine together when working away. When in the home office I set clear ‘non work’ times for chatting over lunch, or finishing for dinner. Reflect on what’s important to YOU, and create that perfect life/ work balance.

1) Identify the true root cause of the imbalance. Is there really too much on your plate or is there room to work more productively? 2) Get clear on what boundaries you can set for yourself. Boundaries are not just for yourself, but it helps the people you work with understand and know what to expect from you. The key is to articulate them and not keep it in your head. 3) Now, the part that’s the most important yet hardest, is to respect and STICK to your boundaries. Meaning, avoid creating concessions and case by case deviations. This makes your boundaries inconsistent and tend to confuse yourself and others.

First of all- why is work and life two separate things? Isn’t work a PART of life? Yes, we need to balance all areas of our life, including the job front. So all the points given are relevant. But first we need to change our perception of work being a monster that’s keeping us away from our life. 🙆🏻♀️

Reflect regularly and improve work-life balance Pause and Reflect: Take a moment to identify stressors and sources of unhappiness in your life. Consider how these factors impact both your work and personal life Pay Attention to Your Feelings: Be aware of how your current situation makes you feel. Assess whether you are fulfilled and happy or feeling negative emotions like anger or resentment Reprioritize: Determine what changes are necessary to enhance your work-life balance. For example, if work is encroaching on quality time with loved ones, consider realigning your schedule to create more time for personal relationships