Tips for a healthier work-life balance

• Have regular breaks away from your desk: This will help reduce the intensity of work and get you in the habit of switching off. Micro breaks (getting up and moving around for a few minutes) can improve concentration and reduce stress. Regular breaks from a computer screen are vital for visual and musculoskeletal health. Short bursts of exercise are beneficial, but wherever possible try to get outside each day in natural settings. 

• Establish an unwinding ritual: For the last 30 minutes of your working day, only start jobs that you can complete easily. Alternatively, spend time clearing your desk. 

• Write a daily exit list: Jotting down what you need to do the next day will help clear your mind and provide a sense of control and resolution. Mentally prepare yourself as you review your activities the following day. 

• Identify a corridor between work and home: People who do emotionally demanding work often need to ‘decompress’ before moving into their personal life. Consider how you can transition between work and home, physically and mentally: change your clothes, have a shower, cook a meal, or go for a run. Mindful walking (see Quick Win in FWB5 Self-care and Wellbeing) can be a good way to switch off, as it increases awareness of your bodily sensations and encourages you to tune into your environment as you walk. 

• Find a restorative place: Spend 15 to 20 minutes somewhere you feel happy and relaxed. This could be a favourite chair or a place in the garden. 

• Switch off when you commute home: Avoid seeing commuting as extra work time; read a book or talk to a fellow passenger if you are on public transport or listen to music in the car. If you are working at home, use a ‘virtual commute’ such as meditation, yoga or a go for a walk, to unwind before and after the working day.

• When you think about work after the working day, are you are problem-solving or ruminating? Problem-solving can provide solutions and insights, whereas ruminating will drain your mental and physical energy. So, try to make sure any thoughts about work are restricted to the former.

• Do something different: It is particularly replenishing to use a totally different skillset during leisure time. So, for example, take up a craft, join a choir, or learn a foreign language (see Quick Win on increasing psychological flexibility in FWB3 Learning Mindset).

• Use your diary to schedule activities that you enjoy: Planning your leisure time well in advance will help make sure you get opportunities to switch off.

• Practise self-compassion and self-kindness: avoid the punitive self-talk that can encourage you to work longer and more intensively (see FWB Self-care and Wellbeing – Core Action and Quick Win ).

• Get another perspective: Regular input and advice from a mentor or a coach can be liberating. Anticipating opportunities to talk about concerns with a trusted person can help people contain difficult emotions and to switch off.