It is easy to find yourself getting caught up in work when you are focusing on your career. Maybe you started your career as a software developer and you feel the need to prove yourself. Or you are close to a promotion and you’re going for the last push to reach it. Whatever the reason may be for you to be spending all your time working, you’ll realize that you do need work-life balance at some point.
It is not maintainable to constantly be working. I’ve done just that when I first began my career as a software developer and let’s just say it didn’t end so well. However, it motivated me to learn about work-life balance and to put it into practice. The results I am seeing has been great so far and that is what I am going to share with you in this post. It is all based on my personal experience so take it for a grain of salt.
1. Higher Productivity
The mistake I made was thinking that if I wasn’t coding then I was not working. This lead to me keep working and view taking breaks and taking time away from work as being unproductive.
Eventually, I learned about work-life balance and that changed how I work. I began to take frequent breaks and take time off. At first, I was afraid that it would cause me to fall behind, but it didn’t. I was actually more productive than I was before enforcing work-life balance. Not only was I working for less amount of time, but I was also delivering more.
2. Stronger Relationships
It’s difficult to make time for your friends and family when you’re constantly working. When you establish a work-life balance you’re able to use some of that time to build up your relationships with your friends and family. Having stronger relationships can increase your overall level of happiness at least for me.
3. Improved Health and Well-Being
Too much of anything is not good for you and that applies to work as well. When you work too much it starts to hurt your health. You increase your risk of RSI (repetitive strain injury). You are also affecting your mental health.
When you work less and take that time to recharge, it helps by improving your health and well-being. It helps prevents the risk of RSI, which is career breaking for a software developer. It also helps you maintain your mental health, which is critical to do your job as a software developer.
4. Prevents Burnout
Working too much is definitely a path to burnout. When you’re burnout you lose interest and motivation. It reduces your productivity and energy, leaving you feeling helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. These negative effects will touch every area of your life including home, social life, and work. By having a work-life balance you can prevent yourself from entering burnout state.
Well, what if you already find yourself in burnout state? One of the best ways to stop burnout is to stop working so much. In another word, start enforcing work-life balance.
I hope this post was helpful to you. If you found this post helpful, share it with others so they can benefit too.
What is your day-to-day schedule like? Do you find work-life balance important?
To get in touch, follow me on Twitter, leave a comment, or send me an email at steven@brightdevelopers.com.