Finding that balance between work and everything else can be a challenge. But don't fret, we've got you covered with these six tips from the experts over at our sister brand, Men's Fitness.
Start The Day With A To-Do List
As soon as you get to work, write a daily to-do list with your top priority first. Subjects who do so have better powers of memory and recall than those who don’t, according to the Journals Of Gerontology, meaning they’re more likely to get them done. And use a pen and paper, not your computer or an app: research from the University of Stavanger in Norway found that writing by hand instead of tapping it out with just your fingers makes what you write more memorable.
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Go For A Walk During Lunch
If you’re swamped and not expecting to do more than eat a sandwich at your desk at lunchtime, make time to get out and go for a walk. Research published in the Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine And Science In Sports found that people who went for a 30-minute walk three times a week for ten weeks reported feeling more enthusiastic, productive and relaxed and better able to cope with afternoon stress. And use your stroll to pick up a protein-packed salad instead of a sarnie.
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Turn Off Email And App Alerts
Having 24-hour access to their work email account though a smartphone app was listed as the number one most stressful work-related problem in a survey of 2,000 people by the London-based Future Work Centre. The highest levels of stress were in those with the notification function turned on, sending them an alert every time a new email arrived. About 30% of subjects received more than 50 emails daily, costing them an hour’s work time every day.
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Take A Screen Break Before Bed
The worst thing you can do when trying to forget about work is check your emails in bed. Around 95% of people now use electronics in bed, according to the Sleep Foundation, and reading an anxiety-inducing email before bed is a good way to give yourself a restless night. Even if your inbox is empty, exposure to the blue light from the screen will suppress levels of the sleep hormone melatonin, meaning you’ll take far longer to fall asleep, according to the journal Sleep Medicine Clinics.
Work From Home When You Can
Asking your boss if you can work from home one day a week, especially if you have a long commute, will boost your productivity and reduce stress levels, according to research published in the Journal Of Applied Psychology. A meta-analysis of almost 13,000 employees found those who could work from home had greater job satisfaction, less stress and less family conflict. There was also no negative effect on the quality of relationships with colleagues.
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Leave Work In The Office
It can be hard to disconnect from the day job, thanks to the internet, but here’s one way: if you ever have to work late, stay in the office rather than taking it home. Being physically detached from work at home lets you switch off more quickly and completely than when you have work-related things scattered around, says research from the Journal Of Occupational Health Psychology. If you do work from home set up a dedicated work zone where it all stays.
