5 Quick Soul-Care Tips for Work-Life Harmony

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Benjamin Field, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Tip 1: Rise early to perform a self-care ritual
For four years, I’ve been getting up early—before the rest of my household is awake and I inevitably get drawn into the busyness of the unfolding day—to perform a daily self-care ritual. I begin with meditation and stretching, and I follow this with journaling or reading a chapter of a book I’m enjoying.

For those of you with infants and young children, you may be thinking that you’d rather have that extra hour in bed, especially if you’re operating on very little sleep to begin with. While sleep is, of course, critical for your physical well-being, if your mind is suffering because you’re simply on “rinse and repeat” and experiencing little personal time, then you’ll have to contend with mental and emotional tiredness alongside the physical.

For instance, my sister-in-law has two teenage daughters and, unsurprisingly, her days are busy tending to their needs. To ensure she doesn’t feel overwhelmed, she gets up at 6AM to exercise in her basement or goes for a run. “The mornings when I work out, I feel like I’ve done something nice for myself, which helps me be more at peace with any curve balls the day throws me, ” she explains.

Whether it’s meditation, journaling, a morning sun salutation, an outdoor run, or simply taking a few moments to enjoy your coffee as the sun comes up, when you rise early before everyone else to perform a self-care ritual, you reclaim something of your own amidst the busyness of life. Days feel infinitely more peaceful this way.

Tip 2: Set clear boundaries
We all know that when we don’t put in place clear boundaries at work and in life, we end up feeling overwhelmed, resentful, and stressed out, which is a short route to burnout and ill health. And, yet it’s remarkable how many of us, even at the best of times, fail to put clear boundaries in place for fear of being perceived by family and co-workers as difficult, unhelpful, or selfish. In the new normal that is flex hybrid and remote working, it’s even more important to enjoy the space you live and work in by ensuring you maintain healthy boundaries. My sister-in-law calls this practice erecting “invisible walls.”

Keep regular office hours. Separate work time from home time by keeping set office hours. Once you step away from your work, put your work devices away and be present.
Keep a clean space. Generally, keep your spaces clean, neat, and tidy. Clear away work papers and files after each work session and use shelf space if you have it. Less physical clutter equals less mental clutter.
Communicate clearly. If you’re WFH with family or roommates, clearly articulate when you’re available and when you’re not. If you’ve the luxury of closing a door, then consider putting up a sign that tells visitors what the closed door means (e.g., “on a call” or “focusing; no interruptions please”). If you’re unavailable to join a call or answer emails at set times, such as during a mealtime, then let your team know in advance what to expect.
Place limits on your consumption of news. Erecting invisible walls doesn’t just protect you from encroachments from those near you, it also protects you from unnecessary anxiety from the outside world. In our 24-7 digital media culture, it’s imperative that you place healthy limits on your news consumption. Consider having a dedicated time — that’s not directly before you go to sleep — once a day when you catch up on events. Be sure to turn off instant notifications on your devices, especially when you’re working on a task to remain focused.

The ideal time to establish clear boundaries is at the outset of any relationship. This minimizes room for misunderstandings about where your limits reside. It’s a little uncomfortable at first, especially if you’re confronting a culture where there are little to no boundaries but trust yourself to lead by example. It’s never too late to set up clear boundaries. Start small with incremental steps and you’ll be sure to experience more harmony in your relationships in work and life.

Tip 3: Unplug completely
This tip goes hand in hand with setting clear boundaries. Switching off fully from work and engaging with your life is of vital importance for your well-being and the health of your relationships, especially whilst telecommuting. If you’re out of the office, then really be out of the office. There is nothing more confusing and frustrating for your loved ones and colleagues than signaling you’re out of pocket while still responding to work.

Naturally, there are exceptions to this rule—such as when you’re a business owner—but usually if you do a good job of communicating ahead of time that you’re going to be out of pocket during certain hours for meals or to bathe and put the kids to bed, then people will usually respect that.

A client, a newly elected law firm partner, learned a hard lesson these past few weeks: when he kept his phone on his bedroom nightstand overnight the temptation to check emails in the wee hours was too great and he ended up getting drawn into work, then unable to get back to sleep and showing up the next day exhausted. He now places all his devices in the kitchen drawer where they remain until morning.

Life is too precious a gift to be squandered by being absent from it physically, mentally, or spiritually. If you’re teaching your kid to ride a bike, then be there with her, fully engaged in the moment. No-one looks back from their deathbed wishing they’d spent more time working. Most importantly, don’t feel guilty for unplugging completely; it enables you to replenish and return to your work with renewed energy and focus.

Tip 4: Dialogue with your inner critic
We’re all familiar with our inner critic, the voice inside of us that second guesses our choices and tells us that we’re not good enough. If your voice is anything like mine, it’s self-recriminating, judgmental and, often, unkind. The inner critic is ever present—often the only voice we can hear—so it becomes normalized.

By way of example, my wife and I both are solopreneurs. For a long time, we’ve both contended with an inner voice that railed against what it viewed as any unproductive uses of time. One day she decided to speak to the critical voice and explain how power naps during the day, far from being a waste of time, are in fact just what she needs to show up and do her role effectively, as well as feel satisfied in her work and life. The voice hasn’t gone altogether, but its power over my wife is significantly diminished.

The next time your inner critic speaks to you, rather than deny its existence, try acknowledging the voice and dialoguing with it by asking what it wants. Usually, all the voice needs to quieten down is to be engaged.

Tip 5: Rest in uncertainty
At a time of unprecedented change and shifting paradigms in the world wrought by the aftereffects of Covid-19 global pandemic, climate change and polarization across our culture, it’s easy to fall into a place of despair or, alternatively, to feel the urge to numb by constantly doing. As an alternative approach, I’d offer the wisdom of Buddhist and other eastern spirituality: surrender. In other words, do nothing. This doesn’t mean be lazy or give up operating as a responsible human being in the world. To the contrary, it means taking a moment to sit and just be with yourself, a turning within. This is truly one of the most difficult of things — but try it and witness what occurs for you as you rest with yourself in uncertainty. Your inner resources are more powerful than you can imagine. Resting in uncertainty enables you to uncover great gifts and feel truly alive as you sail on into the unknown.