.jpg)
.jpg)
Striking the right balance between work and private life has always been a difficulty. Inspire yourself with our 10 best work-life balance quotes and tips.
For most workers, striking the right balance between work and private life has always been a difficulty, particularly with the rise of hybrid work. In a 2016 study of 2,000 American workers, it was reported that 60% had a hard time maintaining a good work-life balance.
What’s more, the difficulties of finding the right work-life balance has only increased with the rise in hybrid and remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have previously reported on how this hybrid work style is the future of the workplace, so these difficulties are not looking like they’re going to end in the coming years.
With this in mind, we have compiled ten of the best work-life balance quotes that might inspire you to stay healthy, happy, and productive. You can use this alongside our article on workplace wellness to ensure you and your colleagues are happy and motivated!
Before we introduce you to some of the best work-life balance quotes, it’s important that we establish what we mean by work-life balance.
Work-life balance is essentially the way in which workers are able to balance the time they spend focusing on their work and the time they spend in their private life away from work. Due to a variety of factors such as stress and the inability to set clear boundaries, this balance is not always easy to maintain.
Examples of a good work-life balance would be establishing what time is set for you to work and what time is set for you to relax and wind down. It also means that when you are spending time away from work you are not feeling pressure about the work that needs to get done.
It is important to get the balance between the two right because it can help you to become more productive at work whilst ensuring you don’t sacrifice your personal life and hurt your mental health.
As mentioned earlier, due to the pandemic the boundaries between work and life have become even more blurred. This is because more workers are working remotely or with some kind of hybrid schedule, and it’s become harder to separate work from personal life.
This issue has been exacerbated by the rise of the use of asynchronous communication. We have written about asynchronous communication previously. In short, asynchronous communication is when a worker is able to set their own work schedule as their response is not expected instantaneously. Why? Asynchronous communication rejects the 9-5 schedule for a more individualised approach.
Asynchronous communication can make a real difference on whether you establish a healthy work-life balance. If you are setting your own working hours, this can be really positive as you can set out the time to relax each day that best suits you. However, if you struggle to set clear boundaries, you may find that you are overworking yourself far beyond the typical 8-hour workday.
Another effect of asynchronous communication on work-life balance is not being able to physically separate your work from your private life. Many people who use asynchronous communication do so because they are working remotely and most likely, working from home.
It can be hard to separate the time you’re spending working to the time you’re spending relaxing when it is all happening under the same roof. Again, setting clear boundaries can help to overcome this. If you are able, it may also be good to try to work in another part of your home or to work in a local café to better establish this separation.
However, there is also a major benefit for asynchronous communication in establishing a healthy work-life balance. If you have a major commitment in your private life, such as family or personal issues which would usually disrupt a 9-5 day, asynchronous communication allows you to organise your work schedule around it. This way, you won’t need to prioritise work over your private life.
In short, asynchronous communication can increase some struggles in trying to create a healthy work-life balance, but with the right mindset and with clear boundaries, you can certainly use this communication style to your advantage.
Now that we’ve seen how asynchronous communication can help in establishing a healthy work-life balance, let’s see how synchronous communication can affect work-life balance.
We’ve written all about synchronous communication here but to summarise, it is the more traditional form of communication where workers typically work during the 9-5 day and communicate instantly during these set hours.
Synchronous communication can help to establish a healthy work-life balance because you are only expected to work the standard hours as set with your employer. The work boundaries are set for you and therefore decrease the possibility of overworking.
It can also help to have full days off rather than scatter your time across throughout the week which can happen when using asynchronous communication. Being able to know which specific days are work days and which are days to relax can be really useful in setting boundaries between work and personal life.
However, synchronous communication does demand that you work the set hours established and does not allow you to have any time off when you may need it. Not being able to take an hour or two for mindfulness or relaxation when you need it during your set hours could be an issue.
This issue can be overcome by having a conversation with your employer and having honest and healthy communication about your mental health state. You may be able to come to a compromise if you need to take an hour away for your own mental wellbeing.
Now that we’ve established what work-life balance is and how different communication styles can affect it, here are ten of the best work-life balance quotes that can help guide you to a healthier lifestyle.
1. “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” — Arianna Huffington
Instead of working extra hours that bleed into your personal time, make sure you are being more productive in the hours that you are working. For advice on how to boost productivity, read our blog.
2. “Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” – Betsy Jacobson
Ensure that you are setting clear boundaries on when you are willing to work, especially if you’re working asynchronously. Boundaries are the key to establishing a healthy work-life balance.
3. “Always take some of the play, fun, freedom, and wonder of the weekend into your week and your work.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru
Make sure you don’t see work and life as two opposing and conflicting parts of your life, you can use each part to benefit the other.
4. “We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” — Michelle Obama
Returning to this idea of boundaries, it is really important that you don’t let your work overwhelm you and to ensure that you are putting yourself first in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
5. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey
Instead of trying to get every piece of work done in a day, ensure that you are prioritising your private life too and that you are striking the right balance.
6. “The problem is that technology has become an extra limb for some of us. It's important to utilize this technology, but at the same time it’s important to know when to take a break from it.” - Alex Broches
Don’t let your life become overwhelmed by technology. Especially if you’re working asynchronously, don’t forget to turn on ‘do not disturb’ or set yourself as ‘away’ when you are spending time on yourself rather than on work. Technology can be a great way to communicate but don’t let it overwhelm you.
7. “Work-lifebalance is not an entitlement or benefit. Your company cannot give it to you. You have to create it for yourself.” - Matthew Kelly
Instead of viewing your lack of work-life balance as a problem caused by your workplace or employer, consider the ways that you can work to benefit your situation. Have a conversation with your boss, set clear boundaries and utilise digital technology to help give you time off when you need it.
8. “A time for everything: A time to relax and a time to be busy, a time to frolic and a time to labor, a time to receive and a time to give, a time to begin and a time to finish.” - Johnathan Lockwood Huie
The key idea here is balance. Ensure that you are not overly-relaxing or overly-working but rather finding a way to combine all of these components throughout your week.
9. “Invest in your work-life balance. Time with friends and family is as important as time at work. Getting that out of balance is a path toward unhappiness.” - Stephen Gillett
Ensure that you are socialising and seeing friends, it can lead to great unhappiness if you let work overwhelm all aspects of your life.
10. “We have overstretched our personal boundaries and forgotten that true happiness comes from living an authentic life fueled with a sense of purpose and balance.” - Dr. Kathleen Hall
Once again returning to this idea of boundaries, we are reminded here that we do not need to give 100% of ourselves to work at all times. You can put yourself first and this can lead to a sense of both purpose and balance.
The best way to accomplish a great work-life balance is to schedule your time properly, set clear boundaries, ensure that you put yourself first and use each part of your life to enhance the other.
We hope that you found our chosen work-life balance quotes to be useful as well as our insight into how asynchronous and synchronous communication can affect how easy it is to establish a healthy working environment.
Let us know which quotes you think are the best and which is your new mantra to live by sending us a message on our Twitter or LinkedIn.