Poised for success: 7 ways to improve your work-life balance

“Thanks for your late-night e-mail. Please note that I will check, read and reply to e-mails during sleep, meals, work out time and my little Tommy’s soccer practice.

You might be smiling, but this is the reality for many of us. Life + work should be a rather simple balance, yet we somehow keep getting it twisted. Although we’re all looking for more flexibility and time to do the things we like, we tend to be working more, playing less and sometimes missing out on what really matters.

Around a half of European workers say that they’re balancing work and family or personal life better thanks to mobile technology helping them save time and boost productivity (Microsoft European SMB Research, Ipsos Mori, 2015). But even though new powerful tools, like the new Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL smartphones, give us a real chance to achieve more, better and easier, work-life balance ultimately comes down to our personal habits. Dr Mark Batey, Organisational Psychologist from Manchester Business School, has come up with easy hacks that will help you get things done in a healthier way.

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Tackle smaller, simpler tasks on your bus commute, clearing the way for you to attack the big jobs when you reach the office.

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Being seen as “active” on messaging apps can put more pressure on you to respond, so try to separate personal and work life as far as you can.

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When an urgent mail or message comes through, don’t let it distract you if you’re under-deadline or in a meeting. If you must, acknowledge receipt, and say you’ll be back in touch shortly.

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If you’re in a position to get out of the office, then try to work from places that make you feel most comfortable. Anytime, anywhere working allows teams the freedom to hold meetings outside the office in stimulating environments, as well as enabling people to work at times to suit them.

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Spend 20 minutes a day exploring new websites or content to liberate your thinking and help inspire new ideas. This can be a great habit to adopt on your daily public transportation commute.

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Use a note taking app on your mobile to capture your brilliant ideas whenever, wherever they strike.

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Don’t get sucked into email before bed. Your responses will be better thought-out in the morning.


Read more about Dr Mark Batey’s tips on the Lumia conversations blog here.

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