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Whether you landed your dream job or you’re grinding in one you hate (but that pays the bills), no one is immune to work/life balance mess. Sometimes it’s because you just really bloody love your job and find it hard to switch off, sometimes it’s because you’ve got the boss from hell who throws their own toxic energy onto you. It can be hustle culture, and it can just be this good, old-fashioned digital age and WFH life making it all too easy to stay plugged in.
The thing is, burnout creeps up on us all and if we’re not on top of protecting our down time, we run the risk of hitting rock bottom – according to studies run by UNSW and Black Dog Institute in Australia, proper burnout can involve sleep disturbance, withdrawing from friends and family, depression and anxiety. It’s serious business.
So, how do you claw back some work/life balance when you’re in a total shambles? Here are some starting points.
Write Thoughts Down Instead Of Actioning Them
One really annoying work/life balance ruiner is when you remember something you’ve got to do, like reply to that email you forgot about or book that meeting. The thing is, they’re simple tasks you could feasibly do in minutes from your phone – but they add up, and take your mind out of relaxo mode into work mode.
Instead of doing them in the moment, just write them in an email to yourself and hit send, or even better – just make a note in your phone. The email option is for anyone who then forgets to check notes, but either way is far better for boundary-setting than doing the task out of hours when really, it can absolutely wait until morning.
This is also really good if you’re one of those people who suddenly thinks of stuff you need to do at 10pm when you’re winding down for bed. Just jot it down, then back to zzzz time.
Set Up ‘Do Not Disturb’ On Your Phone And Apps
Our little pocket computers are a blessing (stupid TikTok videos! Group chats!) and a curse (Mum following us on Instagram! Group chats!). In the blessing/curse camp? The ability to stay connected to all our work communication at all times.
This can be great if you’re running late for work and want to smash through some emails on the bus or check shifts, but it’s a straight line toward blurred work/life balance lines when you’re copping messages from your boss at 7pm mid-Succession.
iPhones have options for silencing apps on different modes, which you can schedule to operate at various hours of the day. Individual, work-based communication apps like Slack and Teams can also be switched to silent outside of work hours, muting notifications until the following day.
It’s such a little change, and look it’s not going to stop you from manually going in and checking your apps, which you’ll absolutely do. But hey – no notifications pinging through the night can definitely alleviate some of the intrusiveness.
Decide How Much Work You Actually NEED
If you’re a shift worker and rely on casual employment, it can be easy to put your hand up for any/all shifts and find yourself working wild hours out of fear that you’ll need the cash.
Look, casual employment can be riddled with uncertainty and often you’re permanently in a state of needing to work as much as you can. But if you’ve never sat down and worked out how much money you need to pay rent and other necessities, it’s worth doing to see if you can block out at least one full day where you switch off.
Other options for those who need to work a lot of hours for financial reasons is to try and structure the shifts so you have a specific evening or morning every week where you can truly relax. Basically, knowledge is power – if you have a budget and pick up work accordingly, you may be able to find some space (however small) to breathe in your week.
Speak To Your Boss And Colleagues
This should always be your first port of call if your work/life balance issue comes from other people in your workplace, not from you. Even if your boss is a demon-beast-nightmare-monster, a reasonable discussion about contact outside of work hours can still go down well.
Your contract will outline the expected hours of work per week, and it’s worth knowing that 38 hours is the maximum for a full-time worker according to the Fair Work Ombudsman, although there is a vague allowance for “reasonable” additional hours on top of this for employers.
That’s all pretty technical and if you run into issues, you may want to dig deeper into what’s legal and not legal (you can also call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94) when it comes to how much out-of-hours work your workplace expects from you. But if you’ve never discussed out-of-hours calls and requests with your boss before, try just explaining that you’re trying to regain some separation between your down time and your work time, and discuss ways in which you can still fulfil your necessary duties without running yourself into the ground and developing unhealthy behaviours.
Ideally, they listen and you can reach a balance you’re both happy with. Should the conversation go badly, the next step would be discussing the issue with your HR department.
Set Boundaries
Technically, all of the above is about setting boundaries. But it’s also a really good idea to set boundaries within yourself. We are often our own worst enemies and will let fear, anxiety and hustle culture rule our lives, sometimes even subconsciously.
So, go get your journal and write down some of the stuff you do that’s kinda toxic. Then, think of a personal boundary you can set that eliminates or controls that behaviour. For example, if you have a job where you really do need to be contactable at any hour, make a commitment to only respond to contact that is genuinely urgent and can’t be left to the next day, or set a specific hour where you’re totally off duty and communicate that to people who get in touch with you.
Or on a smaller scale, ban yourself from checking emails before work, or if you can, delete them off your phone entirely. Really, achieving work/life balance is all about personal boundaries – figuring yours out, then protecting them.