Americans Have the Worst Work-Life Balance: Here’s 9 Tips to Prioritize You

The Happiness Report is published annually, giving readers insight into the traits defining a country’s happiness. Zeroing in on the work-life balance, the US sadly falls into a precarious position.

The report found workers in the US put in an average of 8 hours and 29 minutes per day on the job. That’s nearly an hour longer than Finland, the country with the best balance. A combination of factors contribute to the US being listed as number four in terms of the weakest work-life balance.

But can this be changed, and if so, what can you do to prioritize you?

1. Prioritize “You” Time

Your life can’t be all work, work, work. You have to have time for you, but oftentimes the real reason behind a poor work-life balance is that we don’t put ourselves first.

There’s an old adage that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Consider this: You are the cup. If you’re running on empty, you will have nothing to give your job or the people in your life. You will have nothing to give yourself. So take the time you need, whether it’s a short trip to rejuvenate, or some downtime to curl up with your favorite book or TV show.

2. Leave Work at Work

This is a very tough one for many people because a lot of the time stress carries over from the workplace. Yet, it’s so critical for your mental health to check your baggage at the door.

And, it gets worse if you work from home because you’re never truly “away.” You can walk away from your computer or put your phone down, but it’s always there lingering. It takes a lot of determination and dedication to work at home, but it takes just as much to put a pin in it and pick up the next day.

3. Opt for Flexible or Remote Work Schedules

There is a massive perk to working from home, whether it’s one day a week or all the time. It’s that you have more time to get things done because you’re not traveling.

If you can, take at least one day to work from home and get away from the harried pace of the office. It’s been known to stimulate productivity, quality, and overall satisfaction.

4. Make Time Management a Priority

Some people find they don’t have enough time at work to get their tasks done. That leads to work being brought home and infringing on personal time.

Sometimes, unfortunately, it’s impossible to fully separate the two. If you do need to bring work home, put a time limit on it, so you can still enjoy downtime. There may sometimes be overlap, and that’s okay, as long as you

5. Adjust Your Availability

Unless you work in the medical field or have a fast-paced higher-up management job, there is really no reason you should be on call all hours of the day. If you have co-workers or your boss calling or messaging outside of work hours, you have the right to set firm boundaries.

Be clear in your work hours and use away messages on your platforms to let them know you will respond when you’re back on the clock.

6. Set Clear Boundaries

To help avoid burnout, which is a very real thing that can take quite some time to recover from, it’s important to set clear boundaries as to what time is yours versus what time is available for others.

Protecting your downtime is critical to maintaining a good work-life balance and it should always be non-negotiable.

7. Nix the To-Do List

If you’re anything like me, your to-do list is neverending. That can make it seem like you’re always running in place.

Instead of focusing solely on what you need to do still, make sure you also take time to celebrate your accomplishments.

8. Identify Top Priorities

You are clearly the top priority, but after that, it’s important to know what your next biggest focus should be. That helps establish the balance many are missing.

If you can knock the top responsibilities out of the way first, you’ll have a much smoother time tackling the smaller ones.

9. Schedule Time Away (And Take It)

If you have vacation time, or PTO, use it. Take advantage of the time away to do a mental reset. Most importantly, during this time, do not take or respond to call requests or messages.

Make it clear that your time away is for you and that you will be back when your PTO is up and no sooner. Then, prioritize yourself and enjoy your time away from work. It will still be there when you get back.

What’s Causing the Work-Life (Im)Balance?

There are several factors contributing to the imbalance between your career and personal life. One is that employers tend to reward those who show no quit and prioritize work above all.

Some feel as though they need to sacrifice their home life to climb the career ladder. It’s a lack of prioritizing oneself over the job.

Which Countries Have the Best/Worst Work-Life Balance?

The country with the best work-life balance should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the Happiness Report. For seven years, Finland has come out on top of the world in this respect. Denmark, Switzerland, France, and New Zealand round out the top five.

On the flip side, Australia has the worst work-life balance, followed by Norway, Ireland, the US, and Hungary.

Side Effects of a Poor Work-Life Balance

The side effects of a poor work-life balance are numerous. The most important one is the wear and tear it takes on you as a whole. Your mental and physical health suffers, and that is cause for concern.

Many who have reached burnout stage mention they have reached serious exhaustion levels and even made mistakes on the job.

Source: The Happiness Report.