12 Signs of Unhealthy Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is like the search for El Dorado. We love to talk about it, research it, and search for it, but it eludes us.

However, this shouldn’t be the case.

Often, something is unattainable because we make it unattainable. Work-life balance only happens when you make your life a priority and when you can honestly assess your mental, physical, spiritual, and work health habits.

Using a software platform that allows you to manage and grow your business is a great first step towards attaining greater balance by freeing up time to do more of the things that you love. Request a demo today of our All-In-One Fitness Business Management software.

12 Reasons for an Imbalance in Work and Life

#1 – You work all of the time

Work is good and healthy. However, when it becomes the thing that consumes your life, you may be nearing burn out.

Make sure your current work hours are sustainable. If not, then have a cut-off time where you commit to slowing down and taking a breath. Whether that means taking a vacation, lowering hours, or investing in a hobby.

#2 – You aren’t regularly sleeping

Sleep is critical to your overall health and without the proper sleep, you won’t be as sharp at work, home, or with your friends. Watch the video below for a look at what happens when the body is sleep-deprived:

Have you ever fallen asleep while working? That’s a strong indicator you need to re-evaluate your work-life balance.

On the flip side, why not schedule power naps into your weekly rhythm?

#3 – You aren’t exercising

Study after study shows that exercise is critical for long-term physical and mental health. If you are working so much that you aren’t exercising at all, then sit down and honestly evaluate your time. Make your physical health a priority. The video below explains why exercise is so important for your overall wellbeing:

#4 – You never have fun

Make sure you taking time every day if possible to do something that’s fun. Play is important. The TEDx video below explains why:

#5 – You never invest in personal relationships

Have you looked back at a week, month, or year and realized you’ve worked to the detriment of your personal relationships?

Studies show you can only maintain 150 relationships at one time. And no more than five close relationships in your inner circle.

At different points in your life, you may have to put a hold on different circles of your friendship, but always make sure you are nurturing your inner circle. Those are the people who support you no matter what, provide you with honest advice, and stability in your life.

#6 – You are aimless

Make sure you have a goal hierarchy, as seen in the video below. Know your top-level values and priorities and how major aspects of your life like work, school, relationships connect. Not having any structure will hurt your productivity at work as well as your balance at home.

#7 – You never finish projects

There is a variety of reasons why people don’t finish projects. Sometimes these reasons are great and should be applauded. Sometimes you just come to a point where you have to cut ties and call it a loss.

However, a lot of our reasons aren’t great:

• Fear of failure
• Lack of grit
• Short attention span
• Poor goals (see #6)
• Procrastination
• Perfectionism

Honestly, evaluate why you can’t finish and make SMART goals to help you achieve your goals. We also recommend checking out Jon Acuff’s Finish!

#8 – You never stop thinking about work

Have you ever found yourself at home thinking about work? What about sitting at dinner with friends and 15 minutes pass and you’re in work la la land?

Give yourself permission to leave work at work. In Deep Work, Cal Newport shares that when he’s done with work for the day he has a routine he repeats that helps his brain know he’s leaving work.

#9 – You’re always stressed

Whenever we don’t foster healthy habits, our body will respond with increased stress. It knows we’re out of whack. In the talk above, David Allen discusses how you can experience stress-free productivity.

Stress will affect all of your life including your work. Here are a few tips to help you keep stress in check:

• Practice breathing techniques
• Exercise regularly
• Get proper sleep
• Keep your stressors in perspective
• Practice saying no
• Avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms (i.e., drinking, smoking, eating, etc)
• Take a walk
• Write down what you’re grateful for
• Talk with someone in your inner circle

#10 – You never say no to your job

We won’t say a lot about this here because we have written about this topic in-depth. However, once you’ve set clear goals, give yourself the freedom to say no to things that aren’t high-value.

Sometimes that means saying no to something that’s good but comes up at the wrong time. Sometimes that just means saying no without explanation.

#11 – You have no hobbies

The world is a terrible, beautiful, and exciting place. There are so many things to do around us. You can’t do everything, but you can experiment with different hobbies to stretch yourself, find something you truly enjoy, and increase your creativity.

Here are some benefits of having a hobby:

• Reduces stress
• Connects you with other people
• Fosters creativity
• Exposes you different points of view
• Provides resistance to grow
• Helps you continually learn

#12 – Checking emails late into the night

Checking emails throughout the day is a sure sign you aren’t fostering healthy habits. Doing so prevents you from focusing on the most important parts of your work. Doing so late at night when you should be focusing on other aspects of your life prevents you from having any kind of balance in your life.

Balance can be hard to come by. Using things like productivity tools and software platforms that can automate and streamline various tasks can help. Request a demo of our All-in-One Fitness Business Management Software to spend less time on menial tasks and more time on reaching your goals.