Tips for Being Happier and Healthier (And Just as Hard-Working!)  

Struggling to strike a balance between work and your personal life? You’re not alone. A White House report revealed that 46% of Americans said their job “sometimes or often” interfered with their family life. It’s not just working mothers feeling the strain either; many of us are citing long work days as the reason for taking less care of ourselves.

How to find a way to slow down? Let’s face it, cutting down work hours isn’t likely an option. Fortunately, there are ways you can learn to juggle your career with hobbies and your family.

Revamp Your Relationships

Leaving work late? Checking emails over the dinner table? If this sounds familiar, have you ever stopped to think about how this could be impacting your relationship?

I’m guilty of it too, which is why I’ve started taking conscious steps to ensure time with my other half is considered sacred.

Maintaining a close connection with your spouse can be tough for the modern business woman, but it doesn’t need to be. I recently stumbled across an article from Quality Solicitors with tips for being closer to your partner, and found the following particularly useful advice:

• • • Rid yourself of distractions. When you walk through the door, envision a work-free zone. Unless an emergency arises, or a tight deadline is looming, agree with your partner that evenings are time you spend together.
    • Take an interest in their day. Try swapping “How was your day?” for questions like “What made you smile today?” or “Tell me about a challenge you faced”.  You’ll be surprised by the more detailed, interesting answers you’ll receive.
    • Learn to play at your relationship. “Working” at your relationship implies something negative, which can impact the way you perceive life with your significant other. Instead, learn to “play” at it. This word connotes feelings of fun and spontaneity and can help inject energy, excitement and laughter into your relationship.

Make Family Time Meaningful 

Switching off from work can be tough, but if you’re regularly coming home stressed, it can impact your family.

Winding down, and dedicating time exclusively to your household, is important. Fortunately, you don’t have to be superwoman to do it:

• • • Take a minute to relax. If you come home feeling tense, don’t’ feel guilty about stealing ten minutes to have a shower, collect your thoughts and unwind, before enjoying the evening together.
    • Do things as a team. Whether it’s eating dinner, taking the dog for a walk, watering the garden, or doing the dishes, even doing the smallest activities together can help you to bond.
    • Have family night. Dedicate one night a week to the kids, and do something they enjoy in particular. You could watch a film or play games, as long as you’re sitting down as a family and enjoying the evening.
    • Prepare for the morning. To optimize family time, prepare everything for the next day the evening before, once the kids are in bed. Also, organize lunches and clothes – for them and you – to avoid stress in the morning.

Use Hobbies as a Respite 

Office life can be intense, which is why we often choose to spend our spare time doing very little. Taking up a regular activity, however, has been proven to reduce stress and improve happiness levels.

Hobbies don’t have to be something you go out of your way to do. The easiest way to incorporate a new hobby into your routine is to pick something you already have an interest in:

• • • Learning. Reading can easily be incorporated into a routine. While you’re getting ready in the morning, you can bliss out with some classical music rather than watching the crisis-ridden news. If you commute by bus or train, spend this time learning by reading an eBook or closing your eyes and listening to a podcast or audiobook; similarly, a lunch break is a good time to do this. If you watch television after work, consider chopping an hour out of this time, or try heading up to bed earlier to power through a few pages before settling down. 
    • Build a blog. My partner and I recently started a food blog (something I never thought I’d have time to do), and love contributing to it. Twice the Spice not only combines our favourite interests – for me, writing; for him, cooking – but we’re learning new things all the time, from culinary skills to web design. Additionally, the time spent planning, cooking and producing content is time spent together. Whether your interests are food, fitness or films, blogs fit nicely around your routine, and are a great way to share your passions with others.
    • Enhance an existing skill. Attention can wane quickly if you’re trying to learn something completely new, like a language or instrument. Instead, why not dedicate time to improving something you already do regularly –for example, photography? It’s far easier to commit to improving an existing skill – that you can also practice outside of “hobby time” – than to pick something up from scratch.

Get Active and Fit

Office life isn’t only an emotional strain but, thanks to long hours and sugary temptations, can be a physical one too. Improving your health, however, doesn’t have to be a chore and there are ways to incorporate fitness into your lifestyle:

• • • Start small. If your current routine doesn’t include much physical activity, don’t join a gym with the plan to attend five days a week. Start small, and incorporate twenty minutes of activity into your daily routine during a time you’d normally be doing little, like watching TV. With food, don’t go cold turkey on sugar and carbs; simply get into healthier habits by swapping an unhealthy snack for something less calorific.
    • Incorporate exercise into your routine. As with a hobby, exercise needs to be incorporated into your regime for you to feel comfortable doing it regularly. Could you walk or cycle to work instead of drive? If not, consider where else could you find a slot. For me, I’ve learnt if I get up half an hour earlier in the morning, I can squeeze in a 45 minute gym session, thanks to time saved  that is usually spent in rush-hour traffic.
    • Train for a goal. If you need motivation, why not sign up to a fitness event or commit to an activity to raise money for charity? The added pressure of needing to prepare, coupled with donations from your friends and family, should be enough to spur you on to complete regular training.

Whether your priorities are improving your health, reconnecting with loved ones or trying something new, it is possible to juggle work with your personal life.

And once you commit to that balance,  and teach yourself that time at home is sacred, you’ll soon see your health and happiness levels soaring, without it impacting your career.  In fact, you may find that you have more enthusiasm for your desk duties than you had before — simply by having given yourself a break!