Work-Life Balance. Is it real?

The Orfalea College of Business consistently operates with a mission “to educate career-ready future business leaders in a polytechnic learn-by-doing environment and produce research that positively influences business and society.” The curriculum, extracurriculars, and resources available for students are crafted to be career-oriented and effective professional development tools, which is why we’re always trying to build out and market our services here at the Career Readiness Center. That being said, we want to acknowledge that maintaining a balance between the energy you direct towards your job, internship, and career as a whole and the energy you devote to self-care, hobbies, socializing, and other fun activities is crucial to your success and overall health. Here are some suggestions to work towards finding the right work-life balance that works for you:

Don’t underestimate the need to care for your physical and mental health. Occasionally, you may experience the temptation to forego a full night’s sleep or rush out the door without eating breakfast. Scrolling through social media before bed may sound more interesting than taking a few minutes to reflect on the day and clear your head. Everyone has different requirements and limits for physical and mental well-being, but it’s important to give them proper attention on a regular basis. When powering through a busy day or week, your mind and body can’t function properly without getting a good night’s sleep and eating a well-rounded diet, so prioritize those in your schedule! You’ll be able to work more efficiently even if you have less time logistically, so it all balances out in the end.

Develop and keep track of a schedule. It’s much easier to set and follow through on commitments, whether they’re work or play, if you’re keeping track of what time you have available. It also offers you the chance to consistently re-assess where you should direct your time and energy. Keeping a calendar or other form of scheduling helps you stay organized while planning, and organization is crucial to your success in any team or workplace. A schedule can come in the form of a physical planner if like having the separation between device and planning, or an online calendar.

Set boundaries with your team. As maintaining a healthy work/life balance should be prioritized, setting reasonable boundaries upfront demonstrates that you’re communicative and know your worth. Be willing to stick to these boundaries as long as they complement your workload and reiterate them with peers, colleagues. Remember, setting boundaries does not mean that you’re inflexible, rather that you know what parameters you need to set to thrive in all aspects of your life. A couple examples of setting boundaries include blocking off set times in your calendar for no meetings, or not responding to your work phone past a certain time.

Don’t undertake a surplus of responsibilities just to boost your professional profile. It can be easy to stack up a multitude of involvements, but you’ll find that quality over quantity really does pay off. There is only room on your resume for 2-4 experiences per section anyways, so fully commit to a few things and work hard in those areas rather than experiencing burn out. You’ll find that you accomplish far more in what you fully invest in, allowing you to learn more, grow professionally, and contribute to an organization significantly. 

Know that what works for someone else isn’t guaranteed to work for you. Work/life balance is a personal matter, and everyone has a unique work personality which enables them to handle different responsibilities at different times. Delineating how your time is spent should help you accomplish your personal and professional goals, rather than hinder them and enable further stress and anxiety. Pay attention and reflect on what aids you in being the best version of yourself. Additionally, do not compare yourself to someone who is years older than you in the workplace; know that you will get there in time.