Work to Live

This year marks the 128^th year of an official Labor Day. The United States is ranked 29^th best for a work/life balance. Although there have been improvements, it is sad that on a day that we celebrate workers, we are still doing so poorly with that balance. In honor of these facts, here are some tips to alleviate stress from the job:

1. Start your work day off by making a list. Prioritize what you need to get done versus what you would like to accomplish. Manage your time. If you are unsure how the day gets away from you, spend a day tracking your time.
2. Learn to say no, respectfully of course. Sometimes you aren’t equipped to do something or you will not be able to complete a project in time. It’s better to be honest about that at the start.
3. It’s been studied that people can only focus for 90 minutes at a time—at most. If you feel your mind drifting, switch to another project and then come back. You’ll be refreshed and ready to focus!
4. Set up little rewards for yourself to make the boring stuff more fun.
5. Leave the last 20 minutes of the day to wrap things up. Prepare things for tomorrow, respond to emails, etc.
6. Commit to leaving work on time and share with co-workers to keep you accountable. If you know and share that you are leaving on time, you’ll be more likely to ensure that happens.
7. After work, don’t forget to take some downtime for yourself. It recharges you.
8. Plan something fun during the week so you aren’t always looking towards the weekend. That can feel long on Monday mornings. If you have something in the middle of the week, it breaks things up.
9. Unplug from the office. If there is nothing pressing when you are done at work for the day, leave everything at work. Save after hours work when it is actually necessary. Those emails can wait.
10. If something is sapping your energy and negatively affecting you, stop it. You only have so much free time. Don’t waste it.
11. Add some exercise into your routine. It’s not just good for your physical health, but for your mental health too! If you’re pressed for time, take a walk around the block—every little bit helps.
12. Make a list of personal priorities. Break down your goals into smaller pieces to make it easier to achieve.
13. If you feel like you’re in a rut, change up your habits. Even something small can feel like a big change.
14. Use your weekends as weekends, not as extended work days. Take a staycation and tour your town and pretend you’ve never been there. You can take advantage of things around you without having to go anywhere, but will feel like you did.
15. Don’t forget to use your vacation days. They are there for you to take. Taking a day off here and there to recharge will help recharge you when you go back to work.

If you purchase a 3’ x 5’ American Flag or Banner for your home, add code WORK2LIVE under comments for a FREE mounted American flag desk set, now through Labor Day, so that when you are sitting at work, tired or stressed out, it can remind you of your flag at home and all the wonderful things waiting for you there.