Looking for work life balance? 5 Tips To Help You Avoid Being Overworked

Do you feel overworked? Well, in as much as this might not seem like a big deal today it might have adverse consequences in future which can easily be avoided.

A research published in the BMJ journal found out that working too hard can drive one to alcoholism.

The research claims that people who worked 49-54 hours a week ran a 13-per cent higher risk of developing a “risky alcohol use” habit compared to counterparts who work for lesser hours a week.

Here are ways to avoid being overworked

1. Prioritize your Work

It is important that you know you will never be able to finish all the work in the set hours. Especially if you have a lot to do, this is where planning comes in.

By prioritizing your work you get to know what is important and needs to be done right away or what can wait a while.

This will help you start with the most important which means you will never have to rush to meet deadlines.

Being overworked is something most people allow because of poor planning. Take time say at the beginning of a week and plan for the week. Things move much faster and smoothly when you are organised.

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2. Set boundaries

Now for some people, taking work home is no big deal while for others this not an option.

In order to maintain good work life balance and avoid being overworked, you need to set boundaries when it comes to taking your work home with you.

Now unless it is truly important and can’t wait until the next day, you should not carry your work home. This disrupts your time that could be spent on other things like relaxing and side hustles.

Make it a point to never work on Sunday if you can help it and to leave your work in the office. if you work from home then discipline yourself so that you do not work after hours.

Spend that time with friends and family; learn a new skill or even networking.

3. Know when to say yes or no

This is paramount if you ever wish to avoid being overworked. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying no when you are asked to take on an extra shift or extra work. Especially, if you already have enough on your plate.

There are times when extra responsibilities are good for your career. However, this should not interfere with your life outside work.

You need to give yourself time to relax in order to stay motivated and productive at work. So sometimes just saying no and going home to relax is good for your career and health.

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4. Do not be a Perfectionist

Nothing or no one is perfect. So you should expect perfect work from yourself. Know that there are some things you cannot control and learn to let something’s go.

With this you will be able to leave work on time because you will be comfortable with having done a great job instead of trying to make everything perfect.

5. Stay within your Limits

This is very important when it comes to avoiding being over worked. Do not take on what you cannot handle.

Most of the time in an effort to look dedicated or to finish all the work, people tend to take on too many responsibilities that end up overwhelming them.

Having too many things to do at work will definitely affect your work life balance because you will then have no free time.

It is important for your own health and sanity that you are not overworked and that you have spare time to relax, otherwise you will end up hating your job, under-performing and eventually being fired or just quitting because of being frustrated.

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