Saffron Wildbore
~ 4min read
~ 4min read
The world of technology where innovation is at the forefront and demands are high, ensuring you have a healthy work-life balance can become difficult.
It definitely isn’t impossible though. Have a read of this blog post below to find out more about the work-life balance in tech.
It is typically defined as the division of time that you spend working at your job and the time you spend doing family, personal or leisure activities.
This balance is often not split 50/50 for most people. Whatever the time split, you need to ensure that you’re feeling content and fulfilled in both areas of your life.
A study conducted by Adobe’s Future Workforce revealed that a poor work-life balance is one of the main reasons that Gen Z will turn down a job offer.
Lots of overtime and long working hours - Ensuring that the company is constantly ahead of the curve by keeping up with the latest tech trends can lead to longer working hours.
No boundaries - With the rise of smartphones and remote working it can often be hard to implement boundaries when it comes to your working life. Sometimes people can feel the need to respond to emails or messages outside of their working hours or complete quick tasks.
High-pressure deadlines - The tech industry is notoriously fast paced. With high pressure deadlines to meet, workers may feel stressed or ‘burnt out’ during their working hours.
However, just because you work in the tech industry doesn’t mean you’ll experience the things listed above. Many companies actually value work-life balance, and feeling burnt out may be because you feel a personal need to perform.
There’s a common misconception that the tech industry has no work life balance at all. When starting out in the industry, you may take on more than you can handle in order to prove your worth. Whilst showing initiative is great, you need to make sure that you are prioritizing your wellbeing too.
Take some time to think about what really matters to you in your life. Then decide what it is you want to prioritize.
Some things to ask yourself are:
Am I achieving what I want to in my professional life?
Am I achieving what I want to in my personal life?
Am I making compromises in order to achieve these things?
Am I making too many compromises?
Where can I devote more energy?
Are you splitting your time between work and home life in a healthy way?
If you’re looking for a promotion or working on a big project, it may be wise to spend more time working. Manage your time efficiently by planning your day and allocating certain times to complete tasks. Always ensure that you are taking regular breaks.
If you’re finding yourself spending too much time working, it can be a good idea to set some boundaries. This can include ensuring you are not working outside of work hours, or not having work related things on your personal phone.
Burnout is something that many people have faced at one point or another. Feeling this way can negatively affect both your personal and professional life.
One way to avoid getting to this point is to learn how to manage your stress. If you’re someone that takes on a lot of work and bottles everything up, learn how to seek support.
There’s no harm in asking your managers or coworkers for support if you find you have too much on your plate. Realize that you can’t do everything alone! Having a strong support network in the workplace can help you alleviate stress.
Make sure that you are prioritizing self-care outside of your working hours. Spend time doing activities that will improve your mental health and lower stress. This can be anything; taking the time to exercise, meditating and pursuing hobbies and interests.
Life constantly changes, and so do our priorities. By ensuring that you are taking time to reflect, you can implement any changes you may need to. These things take time!
In conclusion, despite the rumors achieving work-life balance in the tech industry isn’t impossible! As long as you take the time to ensure you’re prioritizing balance, you’ll excel in your role.
Have a look at our latest job opportunities to begin your new career.
Saffron Wildbore is a Senior Marketing Executive at mthree. She has worked in marketing, specialising in creating content for over 4 years. Saffron focuses on writing tips for graduates, Alumni interviews and more!
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