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The importance of work-life balance

We live in an age where it can be a struggle to get the correct work-life balance. So many people are in demanding careers that ask so much in terms of commitment and time expenditure. In a competitive jobs market it can be difficult to get ahead without putting in seriously long hours. This is a major issue in the legal sector but firms such as David Boehrer Law Firm can offer a great work-life balance for it’s employee’s.

These long hours can be rewarding, especially if it’s a job that the person loves, but they can also get in the way of spending enough time with family. Indeed, many parents find that they end up spending more time on work than anything else and don’t get enough of the quality time with their children that they would like to enjoy. Often parents will return home from work and be so tired that they collapse onto the nearest sofa before making the evening meal. There really are a lot of demands on the modern family. Sometimes, after working so hard, it can be difficult to switch off and start putting energy into having fun. Nonetheless, below are some kickstarters to help.

Children love creative activities and using their imaginations. Whether it’s finger-painting, writing, drawing, or even making a short play, creativity is a sure fire way to ensure that children have a good time. Designing and then printing things on the computer can also be fun (better to use high quality ink like canon printer ink cartridges; cheap inks can run and get messy). Kids who engage in creative tasks are also shown to enjoy cognitive benefits as well. Having fun and using the imagination is correlated with increased scores in IQ tests and increased proficiency in English and Mathematics.

After a long day of hard work it can be a lot of fun to go and enjoy the great outdoors. Kids will also appreciate this after a long day at school. There’s nothing that children revel in more than being able to run around outside, playing catch and enjoying the scenery that nature has to offer. Spending time outdoors is also shown to have mental health benefits, which will contribute to greater wellbeing for children and adults alike.

Whilst nature is fantastic, it can also be a lot of fun to relax, unwind and chill out by watching a film or playing board games at home. Some families let a different person choose the film every time, whilst others have a favourite movie that they will watch again and again. Families who relax in each other’s company tend to get on better. Increased time spent together leads to increased communication and cooperation.

All in all, it is of the utmost importance to have a healthy work-life balance, although it can sometimes be a delicate one to execute well. Of course there will be times when we are more stressed and can’t spend as much time with our families as we’d like but we just need to ensure that it isn’t always this way, and that we do also have times where we can relax and don’t feel overworked. If you feel that it is very rare that you get to spend time with your loved ones, then maybe you need to re-evaluate things and make the necessary changes – kids are only young once and you don’t want to feel regret if you miss out on them growing up because you had to take a business meeting or you were staying in the office late to respond to those last few emails.