Ryan Hopkins (Digital Space)
Ryan Hopkins is on a mission to engage 1 billion people in the betterment of wellbeing. He is the Chief Impact Officer at JAAQ, LinkedIn Top Voice for Work Life Balance, TEDx Speak...
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How do you build work life balance?
Work life balance. Well, firstly, you don't. It doesn't exist. There's no such thing as work-life balance. If you're waiting to find some balance between work and life, work is going to win every time. What we need to do is to define boundaries first, balance second.
What are the three ways to create space in digital environment at work?
So you need to define your digital boundaries. Otherwise, someone else is going to do it for you. And trust me, they are not going to be where you want them. If you work in any organisation using a laptop, you could stay online until 25 o'clock tonight and you would still open your laptop tomorrow. But unanswered emails, requests and everything else, so it's time we put it away. At the end of the day, it's a digital cookie jar. We're always reaching in for one extra bit. We find that we're never satiated, so we need to define those boundaries and a couple of ways or three ways that we could consider doing that. One auto schedule each meeting to finish five, 10 minutes early. Secondly, switch off your work notifications. You don't need banners, sounds, noises, vibrations on your personal phone. It's just not necessary. And thirdly, at the end of the day, shut that laptop lid, put the phone and do not disturb mode and enjoy your evening. There's no such thing as work-life balance. We can define those boundaries and start to regain some of our evening from the ever increasing workday.
What can I do to prioritise wellbeing when working on a laptop?
It's not easy. Prioritising work wellbeing while working on a laptop. It can feel like we're constantly bombarded with extra things to do, but we can configure it in our favour. Tech is the issue, but also the solution if we configure it properly. Put something in your diary. Schedule an appointment with yourself and honour it like you would adopt as appointment or appointment with a dentist. That personal appointment is the most important thing you can do today. Block your lunch out. If anyone puts a meeting in over your lunch. Sorry. No thanks. I'm eating. Of course. There are times that you have to flex. I can't say, sorry, boss. I can't go to that client meeting. I'm having a snack. That's not going to fly, is it? But what I can do is push that time back that I was going to go for a walk. These are non-negotiables, and when we configure the tech in our favour, you'll be amazed at the difference it'll make in your day. You prioritise yourself first and you watch. You'll be more productive and happy as a result.