Canadian Mental Health Association

Most of us have many different joys, responsibilities, and obligations pulling us in different directions. People who have good work-life balance feel like they are able to balance all their different roles: they feel they have control over their options; they have the energy to keep up; they look after their physical and mental health; and they don't feel they are constantly sacrificing one aspect of their lives for all the rest.

Get started!

Take some time to have a look at how you feel about your life. Think about your involvement in relationships, your roles at home, work, and in the community. How are your body, mind, and spirit doing these days?
Take the work-life balance quiz to assess your balance.
Talk with friends, family, or co-workers about how they see you: do they think you are in balance?

Check out your options

Somtimes our own expectations of ourselves are higher than what others really expect of us. Or they might just be different! Talk to your family, co-workers, employer, or others you work or volunteer with to clarify what your obligations really are. What is good enough?
At work
Many workplaces have policies that encourage work-life balance or provide assistance for people who feel overstressed at work. Yet often, employees don't take advantage of these options. Find out what your workplace offers and explore what options might help you regain some balance.
If your workplace has no formal work-life balance policies, talk to your supervisor informally about what you think might help your situation and see if it's possible to work some stress-relieving options into your work routine.
At home
Talk to your family about what is 'good enough'. Where is there room to ease up on some things so you can focus more on others. What is 'good enough' housekeeping, or 'good enough' parenting, for example. Can household duties be reduced or shared? Could children be involved in one or two fewer extra-curricular activities?
Financial worries are one of the biggest stressors. Take some time to look at your financial situation. Make a budget. Knowing where you stand and how you are going to manage financial responsibilities takes away some of the stress of uncertainty.
Simplify. Decide to cut down on impulsive purchases. How much stuff do you need to be happy? 'Stuff' often requires maintenance, more security, and more money.
In your community
It's important to contribute to community life, but at different stages in life, we have different resources and time to contribute. Decide what you really have time for now, and what could wait until a different stage in your life.
Commit to activities and obligations that give you a sense of fulfillment or accomplishment and say no to the rest.
Be clear to others about what time and effort you are able to commit. Don't overpromise.

Start!

Here are some tips to start including day-to-day. Start with one or two, and add more when you can. Try to include tips that address your mind, body, and spirit in some way every week.

At work

Take a few brief breaks during the work day. Go for a short walk, spend some time in the coffee room, talk to a co-worker about something besides work for 10 minutes. Breaks will help you approach your work with a fresh mind and you'll get more accomplished by the end of the day.
Take real lunch breaks. Don't check the PDA, voicemail, or your laptop. Go eat lunch in the lunchroom, another location, outdoors, or meet a friend.
Address concerns about deadlines and deliverables early. Don't procrastinate when it comes to communicating with stakeholders about possible delays or unexpected obstacles.
Take time at the end of the day to set realistic priorities for the next day and write them down.
Don't be available 24/7. Discuss realistic expectations of your time with your employer and don't let work creep in to your non-work hours. Disconnect from work voice-mail, e-mail, etc. outside of the agreed hours.
Take vacations! Use all your earned vacation time every year - and resist the urge to 'check back at the office' while you're on vacation.
At home
Create a buffer between work and home. Go for a walk, exercise, read - do something for a short time between the end of the work day and the start of your home time to separate the two.
Eat healthily. Take time to eat balanced, sit-down meals.
Exercise. Even 15 minutes a day of exercise will help you feel more energetic and have positive effects on your health.
Pursue a hobby - either alone or with friends, do something regularly that interests you and brings you joy or a sense of satisfaction.
Focus on your relationships: when you are with family or friends, give them your full attention without dividing it between them and the cell phone, PDA, newspaper, or laptop.
Explore what's good for your spirit. It might be spending more time in nature, taking up meditation, taking part in a spiritual community or ritual, or expressing yourself through art, drama, or music.
Take a news break. For a few days or a week, avoid listening to, watching, or reading about the news. A break from the conflict, tragedy, and tension that make news stories is a good rest for mind and spirit.

What's in it for me?

At work, you will have more energy and mental alertness to apply to your work. You'll be more productive and miss fewer days.
Your relationships with family, friends, and co-workers will feel more satisfying from both your own and their perspectives.
Your physical and mental health will be improved.
You'll feel more in control of your life and the choices you make.
When you do need extra energy, time, or concentration for something, you'll have it.

Updated 05/07/2008