Engineers: how to improve your work-life balance

While we all hope to have a good work-life balance, there’s no doubt that maintaining this is a challenge. 

Especially for engineers, who often have to practice long working hours in both the office and on-site. 

As such, achieving a satisfying work-life balance can seem like an impossible dream.

Despite 97.1% of engineers believing that a good work-life balance is important, worrying new statistics from CV-Library reveal that 32.4% of engineers don’t have the balance right. This can lead to fatigue and even burnout. 

Indeed, over a third (37.7%) of engineers claim that they’ve left a job because of this.

In light of these findings, our guide reflects on some of the ways you can improve your work-life balance, ensuring that you’re the best version of yourself at work and at home.

Find out what interests you

If you’re in a job areawhich really interests you, chances are you’ll be more engaged with your tasks while at work. You’ll increase your productivity, make less mistakes and will generally be more efficient.

If you’re wondering how this will improve your work-life balance, the answer is quite simple. 

Engaging with and enjoying the work that you do will help you to leave work on-time, feeling satisfied and proud of what you’ve accomplished.

Feeling content will also help you to create a clear line between the working day and your personal life. 

Even if you think you’re leaving work at the office, the reality can be a lot different if you’re still worrying about your job after-hours.

Be realistic

Often, engineers are labelled as meticulous, methodical, or even perfectionists. These are great qualities to have in the workplace. 

However, they can also be counterproductive when it comes to creating a good work-life balance.

Therefore, it can be difficult to simply leave work behind at the end of the day. It’s important to be realistic with your expectations. 

If you’re reaching the end of your tether, give yourself a break and don’t beat yourself up over small mistakes.

Put everything down on paper that you’re trying to do perfectly. Writing everything out will show you if this is really a realistic goal. 

Taking a step back from your perfectionism should give you some perspective – don’t let impossible expectations destroy your work-life balance!

Don’t be scared to say no

Not being able to say ‘no’ in the workplace is a sure-fire way to land yourself with tasks surplus to your role. While you might be helping out a friend or think that it will reflect well on you if you’re going for a promotion, you’ll quickly become overloaded.

Remember, it’s okay to be selfish sometimes. Don’t be a yes-man. Take a step back and think about whether you can really complete these extra tasks to the best of your abilities. If you decide that you can’t – that’s fine.

Giving yourself this time to assess your work demands is vital. Start eliminating unnecessary extra work by practicing the power of ‘no’!

Switch off notifications

When you’re not in the workplace, switch off your notifications. Constantly checking your work inbox will only eat into the time that should be put towards looking after yourself.

Furthermore, by responding to notifications that pop up, you’re telling colleagues that it’s okay to contact you outside of work hours. Don’t fall into this vicious cycle!

However, if you’re feeling stressed about the week ahead of you, write down a list of everything that you want to deal with and put it out of your mind. By externalising these thoughts, when you leave the office, you’ll actually leave.

Set aside time for you

Make time in the day to do what makes you happy. Whether it’s spending time with loved ones, playing an instrument or watching your favourite programme. This time is for you.

If you find it hard to find time for self-care, get creative. Especially in high-pressure jobs such as engineering, many of us are guilty of skipping lunch. Instead of working through your lunch hour or being buried on your phone at your desk, dedicate this time to yourself.

There’s so much you can do in an hour. Listen to an informative podcast, go for a walk, or meet a friend for coffee. Small, but repeated changes will soon make a big difference to your wellbeing!

How to have a good work-life balance

The key to having a good work-life balance is to make it your priority. While your engineering career may be incredibly rewarding, it’s important to look after your wellbeing if you want to continue progressing at work.

To engineer a healthy work-life balance, put our advice into practice and start making changes to your everyday routine. No doubt, you’ll soon notice the benefits.