5 Tips for Improving Your Work-Life Balance This Summer

It can be hard to fully appreciate summer when you have a full time job. Work can feel all-consuming at times, especially in the digital age. By taking the time to strengthen your work-life balance, you can increase your productivity, happiness, and be a better teammate in your company's culture.

1) Exercise

According to this Forbes article, "when we’re busy, we make time for the crucial things in life. We eat. We go to the bathroom. We sleep. And yet one of our most crucial needs - exercise - is often the first thing to go when our calendars fill up." Exercising can seem daunting at times, (especially when watching too much Olympics) but there are tons of easy ways to get your heart pumping even on your busiest day. If you have to work for most of the day, try standing while doing it. You can order a standing desk, or simply transfer work materials to a taller surface if you have one. Additionally, there are tons of YouTube tutorials with a wide variety of exercises, try a dance workout between meetings!

Read more about the impact of exercise on productivity here.

2) Do something special every day

Sometimes it can feel like each day is essentially the same, but little moments can make all the difference in breaking a rut! Try things like making fancy simple syrup to put in your coffee, buying concert tickets to look forward to, or reorganizing your bookshelf in color order. There are 24 hours in a day and it only takes a few seconds to do something special. Spice up every day by doing something that makes you happy! You can even document these moments in photographs or videos to watch back if you would like. The 1 Second Everyday app stitches these together for you for free.

3) Soak up sunshine

Whether you work from home or are back in the office, it is important to prioritize getting outside. Go for a walk or run in the morning, eat lunch outside, or work in your backyard if you can! It can be easy to stay inside all day, so make the effort to take advantage of the warm weather whenever possible.

4) Flip the work-life switch at the end of the day

Before technology became mainstream, people were able to stop working when the day was done. They did not answer work calls and emails around the clock, they simply stopped. Now, with phones and laptops in almost every household, the line between working and living has become increasingly blurry. It is all too easy to do work after hours, especially for those who work from home.

The solution is simple: work as diligently as possible during the day, and when the time comes to log off or clock out, stop working completely. In many cases, the best way to do this is to simply take a break from technology for a bit. It is not good for your mental health or long-term productivity to be overworked, so the best thing to do is just take time for yourself.

5) Go on an weekend adventures

Many of us no longer have months off for summer break like we did as a child, but we can preserve the childhood joy by going weekend adventures. Seek out a new park or museum, hop in the car and venture somewhere you haven't been in a while. If you have kids, introduce them to somewhere new! The best way to use your weekend is to do have fun, relax, and recharge, not wait around for Monday. Use full weekend days to your advantage, you don't have to wait for a designated vacation to enjoy the summer.

Making sure you are happy and healthy directly translates to the quality of work you are able to provide to a company. Taking time for yourself prevents feeling burned out, helps get creative juices flowing, and makes you a more positive teammate!

Let us know how you make the most of your summer on Twitter, what work-life balance tips do you have to share?

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