Go home on time day – How is your work/life balance?

Go Home on Time Day, is a day created by the Australia Institute to create a conversation about the impact work has on our mental health, relationships and workplaces.

Did you know that Australian workers donate $110 billion of unpaid overtime to their employers? And 1 in 4 employees check work emails or answer work phone calls outside of work hours?

Unfortunately for many of us, these statistics are not surprising.

Trapped by technology

Our smartphones help us to do amazing things and to be socially engaged and in touch with people 24 hours a day. But it can also mean that work is with us in our pockets or handbags all the time.

When that ‘ding’ notifies us of another email or the phone rings from the office, work is brought to us wherever we are, whatever we are doing.

So much to do, so little time!

Spending time with family, getting some rest, enjoying a leisure activity, running our households: All of these things are important to creating healthy and happy lives.

They also require time, so when our work lives trickle outside of work hours it can have a significant effect on our wellbeing and our ability to cope.

Stressed? Get some balance

Here are some quick tips to start managing that work/life balance:

• Set yourself a goal for switching off from work.

Perhaps don’t answer emails after dinner. Perhaps you aim to leave work on time every Tuesday. Perhaps you commit to an hour a day when you switch off your phone. This can help you start to ease out of work eating up all of your time.

• Take allocated breaks.

Having a lunch break, even a short one, away from your desk is really beneficial for clearing your head and creating some boundaries around ‘work time’ versus ‘break time’. It also makes for a more productive worker.

• Create a ritual

Small rituals when you get home from work can also help in separating work from non-work time. For example, change out of your work clothes into something comfy and relaxing. Have a cup of tea or a relaxing walk or bath. This can be a signal that it’s the end of the work day.

Find professional support

At Attuned Psychology, our psychologists are highly experienced at helping individuals find a healthier work/life balance..

Contact us to find out how one of our team can help you.

And in the meantime, go home on time today!

Author: Rebecca Rossi