According to the 2022 Employment Hero’s Wellness Report, around 52% of Australians see their work-life balance as poor to average.
In a city like Sydney, where the average person works a 40-hour week and commutes for over 70 minutes a day, this figure could conceivably be higher.
So, how can you strike that perfect equilibrium between working long enough to fulfil your employer’s responsibilities and enjoying plenty of free time to do the things you like?
In this post, we will look at some of the best strategies you can adopt to maximise the output of your professional life and enjoyment of your personal time.
If you no longer want your days to be repetitive cycle of waking up, going to work, working, coming home, eating, doing chores and sleeping, then here is what you need to do.
1. Not rely on public transport
The statistic that the average Sydneysider spends around 70 minutes a day commuting to and from work is staggering. That equates to just under six hours a week, assuming you work a full five-day week.
If you throw in the amount of time you spend on public transport during non-work commutes, that figure may be even higher.
The long and short of it is the more time you spend on public transport, the less time you will have to enjoy social and recreational activities.
For this reason, it is a good idea to drive to places because not only might it reduce your commute time, but you can also do other things like listen to music, talk to friends or family on the phone or even enjoy something to eat, which you might not feel as comfortable doing on public transport.
Should you not be able to drive, it is a good idea to find driving instructors in Sydney with Ezlicence because once you’ve passed your test, you’ll have more freedom to get around.
2. Work from home
Another excellent way to cut down that commute time is to work from home.
Recent research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that 37% of Aussies worked from home regularly.
The clear benefit for these people is that it provides them with more free time than they would normally have – upwards of 70 minutes, on average, per day they work remotely.
On days when you do work from home, the potential is limitless. You could, for example, use that time to perform household chores, which means you’ll have more time to relax at the weekend.
Alternatively, you could partake in hobbies or activities you enjoy but would not be able to fit into a regular working week if you had to travel to the office every day.
3. Bulk cook on one day
During the working week, do you get home around 6 pm, start dinner about 6:15 pm, and eventually sit down to eat sometime after 7 pm?
Once you have eaten, packed away the condiments, and washed up, is it closer to 8 pm? If so, you only have a couple of hours left before bedtime.
If you find yourself in this situation Monday through Friday, consider bulk cooking for at least one or two days.
Making multiple meals concurrently can save you a lot of time during the week, not least because you can come home and simply warm the food up in a matter of minutes.
The extra time you save can be channelled towards after-dinner relaxation.
4. Schedule in leisure activity
One of the best ways to readdress an imbalance that is too skewed toward work rather than play is to schedule a leisure activity.
A clever way to do this is to treat it like a meeting at work. For instance, schedule yoga or a beach walk at 7 am or 5 pm in your diary during the working week and make sure you do it.
Alternatively, take an extended lunch break to go for a run or a swim before returning to your desk (where you can then eat).
If you do this, you’ll go a long way towards refreshing and reinvigorating your mind, which could make you more productive in your office duties.
5. Outsource the house and garden work
If you have a demanding job, especially one that requires you to get home late every day, it’s understandable that you might leave the house and garden work until the weekend.
However, doing this will seriously impact the amount of leisure time you have available.
For this reason, consider hiring people to do it for you. The like of cleaners, handymen and gardeners are all relatively inexpensive in terms of cost. But where they can be of real benefit is in the amount of time they can save you.
According to the ABS, the average woman spends about 90 minutes a week doing housework, such as cleaning, while the average man spends just under an hour.
This means that, cumulatively, they can save a lot of time over the years simply by outsourcing the cleaning, mowing, and basic DIY repair work.