It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your career that your life starts to get out of balance. While it’s tempting to think it’s a simple matter that the more you work each day, the more rewards you will reap, there is a point of diminishing returns you’ll need to take into account.
In other words, the benefits of toiling for long hours won’t be able to offset the harm caused by overwork. Reduced productivity is a real risk when you spend more time at work than you do anyplace else.
Here is an insight into why productivity will increase for people who maintain a healthy work-life balance:
1. Reduces Stress
Work can be stressful even for people who make a point of not taking their work home with them. But when the work-life ratio is out of proportion, stress will increase.
The amount of cortisol flowing in your system is boosted under stress, and an increase in cortisol makes it harder for people to do their job properly. Making matters worse, when you’re under stress, you tend to make more mistakes, which leads to frustration, adding to the stress even further.
2. Prevents Burnout
Overwork and feeling cut off from your personal life is a recipe for job burnout. Individuals who throw themselves into their job without regard to getting sufficient rest and spending time away from the office wind up burning out. And a burned-out employee will tend to feel depressed and tired, to the point where he or she feels it would be impossible to come into work at all. With a more balanced approach, however, employees are unlikely to feel burned out.
3. Proper Work-Life Balance Improves Mental Health and Well Being
A person’s state of mind certainly depends on whether they are feeling stressed or are being unduly burdened. By arranging to divide your time more equitably between your career and your home life, you can avoid debilitating anger, depression, and overall stress. Contented individuals make for employees who stay on top of their game.
4. Improves Motivation
If you’ve been feeling less motivated at your job than usual these days, the problem may have to do with you spending too much time at work and not enough time for yourself, family, and friends. Poor motivation leads to poor job performance, which is a risky situation to get into. You’ll be more productive when you feel motivated to do a good job and to demonstrate your skills, knowledge, and abilities.
5. Scheduling Some Time to Strike a Healthy Balance
For individuals who have a tough time striking a good balance between work and life, it’s worthwhile to build time into their schedule (including making calendar entries) to relax and do things that have nothing to do with their job.
The same tools you use to schedule your work efforts can also help you to organize your home life, making more time for you and your loved ones. And when you are living more harmoniously, you can count on your productivity to improve.
