You’re reading Life-Work Balance, a series aiming to redirect our total devotion to work into prioritising our personal lives.
Want to go for a massage on Wednesday? Or how about a karaoke sesh with pals on Tuesday?
Your initial thought might ‘no, not on a work/school night’, but that way of thinking might not be optimal if you want to have a better grip on your work-life balance.
Most of us schedule fun things to do on a weekend, reserving social activities, life-admin, relaxation, recovery and everything else for a mere two days. And before you know it, it’s Monday and you have another work week to get through.
We’ve been conditioned to count down the days to the weekend, then barely blink before it’s over. But maybe we’re going about it all wrong.
Why do our personal lives take up a secondary role in our schedule? The obvious answer is that of course, work drains us out, with many of us working more hours than before, unable to switch off, or simply too tired to do anything else.
But adding a bit of fun in this way can be exciting, necessary even, to break the monotony of the week and allow you to assert some control over your life. It could also make you feel better about work, thanks to the emotional respite you’ll gain.
We’re not talking about hobbies either – though these are important, incremental activities that cultivate progress out of the things we enjoy, be it exercise, a skill, or even something that helps us make extra money - we mean random events that brings pure joy without expectation of getting better.
This is exactly what Nessa, 26, who works in professional services in London, does. She’s started a habit where each week, she plans one weekday post-work activity which can include food, going to the cinema, a concert, theatre etc.
She tells HuffPost: “I started doing this because working from home means it’s quite tough to have a separation between home life and working life. Having something to look forward to really helps me to break up the week and stay motivated.
“For instance if I’m dreading a busy week on a Sunday, it’s nice to know I’ll be meeting friends for an exercise class on a Tuesday or watching a film on a Thursday!”
But let’s not ignore that many of these pastimes come with a price tag and not all of us may be in a position to spend, especially given the squeeze on our wallets right now.
However, not all activities require money. You could organise a random games night with your friends, or a pot-luck dinner. How about a scavenger hunt? Or an amateur painting class in the living room, a movie marathon, a sleepover (perfect if you’re both/all working from home), a sports day, a waterfight.
Don’t have friends who are available? Try incorporating some solo adventures, or maybe even make some new pals in new settings – the point is shifting our focus away from work and taking back some time and power for ourselves.
Nessa adds: “I think it’s also helped me be more confident and explore activities by myself which I’ve really enjoyed.”
The point is adding playfulness into our lives. When we’re children, our lives are centred on playing but as we get older, we abandon such frivolities.
But, there’s merit in bringing these back, says Catherine Price, the author of The Power of Fun, who also teaches people a course on how to have fun.
″’True fun is the confluence of playfulness, connection and flow,” she tells HuffPost. “They provide enjoyment, with knowledge and skills that might help you discover more opportunities for fun.”
So how can you go about changing up your week? After all, you can’t just plan to go to the theatre or do a social activity with friends every week - it’s just not sustainable.
Price says while it’s essential to incorporate opportunities for fun into our lives on a regular basis, we need to think holistically.
“I try to break down my fun into “microdoses” and “booster shots.” Microdoses are small things that you can put on your schedule on a regular basis that don’t take too much work to organise and that might lead to fun – say, a regular lunch date with a friend, or a regular class (for example, I go to my guitar class every Wednesday).
“Then, a ’booster shot’ is something that takes more work and planning, but has a bigger bang for your buck - like, say, a vacation or a weekend away with friends. Everyone’s blend of microdoses and booster shots will be different; the point is simply to always have something to look forward to.
“The more you do so, the more likely it will be for you to experience playfulness, connection and flow (which are enjoyable and good for us even on their own) ― and, therefore, to have more experiences of true fun.”
So, what are you doing this week?
Life-Work Balance questions the status quo of work culture, its mental and physical impacts, and radically reimagines how we can change it to work for us.
