Work life balance is something many people struggle with, especially as technology makes it easier to work around the clock. But having access to work doesn’t make you more efficient or productive. On the contrary, it often makes life more hectic. You may feel more stressed because you have little to no boundaries, so you struggle to rest. For this reason, it’s important to set clear boundaries between work and life. Fortunately, technology is here to help.
How to Create Better Work Life Balance
Take Full Advantage of Your Calendar
One of the most important steps you can take toward achieving work life balance is to set the intention and then use your calendar accordingly. It might sound counterintuitive to “pencil it in” if you’re worried you might become a slave to your calendar, but the opposite is true. If you don’t block out time and let people know how you’re managing your schedule, you run the risk of getting overwhelmed by your professional to-do list. After all, there’s always work to be done.
Instead of killing yourself trying to get it all done right now, hone your time management skills. Sit down with your list of tasks and prioritize what must be done. Then, schedule time in work blocks on your calendar, around chunks of time for family and leisure time. Finally, discover how to share Outlook calendar schedules with the people in your work and personal lives. That way, they’ll know when you’re available for either work or play — because both matter.
Leverage AI to Automate Tasks
A major time killer at work is having to manage all the little tasks that take a moment or two of your time. Those moments add up quickly, and before you know it, you’ve spent an hour or two answering emails, following up, and sitting on hold. And while most people these days have become master multitaskers, evidence has come to light that “multitasking” is a myth. You’re not being more productive; you’re splitting your focus and wearing yourself out.
Instead of running yourself ragged on those mundane tasks, outsource them to AI. You can find systems that will take care of your inventory, invoicing, data collection, and social media management. If it’s a mindless job, let a mindless application do it for you. Of course, you can always show up to put a personal touch on an email or review data analysis. But you can save yourself hours of work time by automating the majority of these duties.
Schedule Your Devices to Shut Down
It’s so tempting to check your email “one more time.” Or to wake up in the middle of the night and reach for your phone … and find that important message from a client or your assistant. Look, you now live in a time where virtually anyone can work from virtually anywhere and anytime. And good for them. Perhaps nights are better options for some people. Others might be in different time zones. But that doesn’t mean you have to respond immediately!
Set boundaries around your work times, and then schedule your devices to shut down during those times you need to step away. You can set up automated email responses outside of work hours that let people know you’ll respond on Monday or in the morning. Most people don’t have a problem working around your boundaries, but you have to establish them. Perhaps one of the best moves you can make with your electronics is to “lock yourself out.”
Find Health Apps that Work for You
But enough about how to cut down on work, how do you maximize your time at home? After all, it’s not just a matter of working less, or not letting work interfere with leisure time. It’s also an issue of actually taking that leisure time. So, maybe you’re not technically “working” in your off hours, but you’re doom scrolling on social media or fighting with people on X. Technology has become such an important part of your life now that it’s keeping you from living.
Fear not: you can flip the script on that narrative and use technology to your advantage. Instead of mindlessly scrolling Instagram to watch other people living, download a meditation app to help you get zen. Or download All Trails to find local hikes. You can even find applications that will send you positive messages each day. Use technology in your downtime to uplift you and focus on enjoying your life, and you may just find yourself carving out more downtime.
Turn It Off and Put It Down
Finally, one of the best things you can do with technology to create more work life balance is to let it go. Not forever. This is not a lecture on getting rid of your smartphones and moving to a cave in the mountains. But more and more people are finding relief and joy in taking social media breaks for their mental health. There was a time when no one had access to technology, and there’s an argument to be made that those were happier times in many ways.
It’s all about finding that balance, right? Technology should work for you, not vice versa. So schedule times to chase waterfalls, and only take your phone for emergencies (and pictures, of course). But wait to post those pictures until tomorrow! Give yourself a break for one day each week. And force yourself to only scroll social media for 30 minutes to an hour each day. You might discover yourself more inspired, more creative, and happier with the results.
In the end, technology is a wonderful tool that has allowed people to connect with others and achieve amazing feats. But it can be an incredible burden that makes people feel obligated to stay connected and constantly be in a state of achievement. Humans were not built for that kind of lifestyle. You’re not a robot, and you never will be. So, let technology work for you by creating boundaries and automating tasks while you work to love your work and live your life.
