1 Week of Work Life Balance Tips for Natural Biohacking
As important as diet and exercise are, we wouldn’t be optimizing our health and performance if we weren’t also paying attention to work life balance and stress management. To acheive the full benefits of Natural Biohacking, it is best to take a holistic approach, because each aspect of wellness impacts the others. However, balancing the two has become even harder, especially for many who are now working from home due to COVID-19. It can be extremely easy for the lines between work and play to become blurred when the dining table, the couch, or your bed becomes your office! Whether you’re working from home, or you’re at a job site, it is important to consider work life balance for optimal well being. Here are some tips that my clients and I find helpful:
Set Your Week up for Success
I find that planning my day hour by hour is essential. I use a simple journal to plan each day to keep me on schedule, create boundaries, and stay consistent with the habits I want to maintain, like eating healthy and exercising. I plan a weekly schedule on Sundays and fill in each day the night before.
Here’s what else the community does to prepare for the week ahead:
Food prep
Get a good night of sleep
Meditation
Morning workouts on Saturday and Sunday
Schedule workouts for the week
Review the calendar for the week
2. Make Time for Movement
Plan your movement for the week on Sunday or pencil it in each night for the next day to make it easier to stick to your exercise goals. You should also plan small breaks throughout the day- even just 5 minutes of stretching or a 15 minute walk can help you come back feeling refreshed! Breaking up the day with movement is beneficial for productivity, focus, and stress management!
3. Utilize a To Do List
Although it seems like a simple tool, a To Do List can be a powerful productivity hack! Jeff Bezos doesn’t schedule his most important meetings in the morning for no reason. He knows that the morning is the time he feels his best and makes the best decisions. You can use a To Do List to prioritize tasks and plan to tackle the hardest ones at the time of day you are at the top of your game to improve your productivity (as well as how you feel about the work)! Utilizing a To Do List also decreases stress and helps to avoid feeling overwhelmed because you’ve got all of your thoughts organized.
4. Set Realistic Expectations
Sometimes, employers can lose sight of the fact that their people are their greatest asset, and you must advocate for working conditions that support your optimal performance. Be honest and open with your team about your workload and how you are feeling. It benefits everyone to have fluid communication and work together to reach common goals. And what boss wouldn’t be happier with a team that supports each other?
5. Take A Break
Take a day off every once in a while just to do nothing. If you feel like planning something fun, go for it, or just take a day to binge watch your favorite show. In a world that is constantly GO GO GO, it’s important to slow down sometimes to avoid burnout. If you prefer to have something to do to recharge instead, here are a few mindful ways to spend your day off:
Read a book
Try baking or making a new recipe
Learn something new- take a class or watch a webinar on something you’re interested in
Attend an exercise class (online or in person) that you might otherwise miss during a weekday