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Interview with Professionals Q: What are some things that you personally do to achieve a healthy work-life balance? What challenges do you face when trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance? Aura: I strive for a healthy worklife balance by setting boundaries around my work time, communication and turn around times for projects. I have a morning routine that begins with 15 min of exercise, meditation, and a great cup of coffee, and that sets me up for the day. When I finish my workday, I turn off notifications on my phone, otherwise I will be tempted to continue doing work, and I take time for myself, to relax and spend time celebrating my daily wins. I also love going out in nature, it usually releases a lot of stress for me, so I sometimes take mini breaks throughout the day to go outside and center myself. The biggest challenge for me is turning off my “work-brain” and I do this by planning something fun after work, it could be chatting with a friend, taking a walk, or cooking something, any activity that clearly defines the end of the workday.
Monica: To achieve a healthy worklife balance, I ensure that I make time for physical activity either before or after my workday, take mini breaks throughout the day to stretch, and shutting off my computer by a specific time. As many of us are working from home now, it can be difficult to step away from work when work is literally steps away from you. I found it important to set boundaries so that I’m not burning myself out. I think the challenge I face when it comes to maintaining a healthy work life balance is the guilt I feel if I do not get to accomplish the tasks
Liana: In the world of Zoom and Google meetings, where professional and personal life blend together at home, it’s easy to forget the time of day. I often find myself being able to sit in front of my computer for hours at a time, jumping from meeting to meeting, and even forgetting to eat sometimes. With work and school being more demanding than ever, it’s important to self-regulate and know when to turn off. Keeping connected with friends and family during my free time is what recharges me, not answering another work email, so I purposely make the effort to give my attention 100% to the people I’m with during personal time. Also, when I’m stressed, I do the thing that lets me release that energy. Whether it’s pounding the gym, bashing some bad guys in the latest video game, or immersing myself in a different world through reading, doing something where you can forget all the things that frustrated you during the day is important. I wanted to during the day due to my meeting schedule. Because of this, I feel that I need to work past my work hours to get more things completed, which can sometimes interfere with my evening plans. However, as mentioned, boundaries are important, so I still try to make sure that I’m not logging off work after 6:30pm.
