Work-life balance.
It’s the golden rule of life that we all pass on to our loved ones, especially the ones who seem to be ‘always on’ with their work.
In simple words, work-life balance is all about drawing a solid line between your work hours & personal life – be as productive as you can during your work hours, and then spend an equal (or more) amount of time with yourself, with loved ones, doing something you love, or doing nothing at all.
In India, and especially in metro cities like Bombay, it’s been the other way round – people try to ‘fit’ in a few hours of solace, while they spend most of their day working. Working to earn more, grow, or just meet deadlines.
With COVID-19 changing the dynamics of every work environment in 2020, the work-life situation has been worse. Gone are the times when we used to dream about work from home on all those days when we dreaded traffic, felt anti-social, or just wanted to be lazy and work from our beds.
Now, it’s been over 8 months (~250 days) since most people have been working from home. Result? Employees are more stressed than ever.
But why?
- There’s always a pressure to ‘save the burning train’. Bosses/clients keep pushing employees to work harder and for longer hours, under the context ‘Our business is hit by COVID slowdown, and we need to put in extra efforts if we want the salary to keep floating’. It generally sounds non-negotiable, and you feel obliged to offer whatever support you can
- There’s an underlying assumption that you’re always available – since people are confined to their households, it is assumed that your laptop & phone are always around, and you can take calls/respond to emails at any hours.
- Lack of movement (commute to the office, after-office plans, etc.) has made people stay in the same 4 walls the entire day, switching from one screen to another. No social interaction with colleagues, no engagement activities, and no breath of fresh air is breaking down the spirits of employees – having nothing to look forward to at the end of the day
- There’s always a to-do list running in our minds – there’s always one task piling above the other
- Communication lines have extended, and become more impersonal – brainstorm sessions in the meeting room have switched to endless zoom calls, and execution of tasks as a team in a room have been replaced by even more zoom calls
So how do we break this chain?
- Know when to switch off – draw clear lines with your bosses/clients/colleagues that you will only be available for urgent matters after a set hour. It might come off as irresponsible behavior at first, but they will soon start respecting boundaries
- Take some pockets of ‘me’ time during the day: It’s okay to not respond to every call & email instantly. Take 15 minutes off after every couple of hours to just walk around the house, watch a video, talk to a loved one, or just relax. This implies more importantly to meals – keep your devices (and your to-do list) aside while eating. Eat with a happy mind
- Be empathetic – while you are trying to strike a work-life balance for yourself, also be considerate towards your colleagues – share their responsibilities when they need some time off, and you will be rewarded with a sense of pride
- Voice it – speak to your HR or your senior about the work pressure – let them know how you feel, and suggest how your current mental state can be improved. More likely or not, they will take necessary action if you voice it
Lastly, do not hesitate in consulting a mental health specialist – they can guide you on how to strike a balance and deal with your anxiety/stress situation
Bonus: Google the term: Revenge Bedtime procrastination.