How Can I Improve My Work-Life Balance?

zakwattiez • February 18, 2020

Feel like you’re missing out on life? Many business professionals across the UK admit to feeling that way due to being overworked and overwhelmed on a constant basis. Maintaining a strong work-life balance may seem laughable or even impossible, but we’re here to tell you that it is achievable with the right mindset and advice.

Read our blog to see how you can improve your work-life balance and enjoy a more rewarding, well-rounded life. It’s no secret that job satisfaction goes hand-in-hand with a great work-life balance, so find out how you can work to live, not live to work below. Contact Recruit Mint for help finding the perfect career that caters to your needs and grow in ways you never dreamed possible with us! 

Threats to a Good Work-Life Balance 

Most UK workers want to succeed at all costs and will work longer hours to ensure that they don’t lose their job. According to a Harvard Business School survey, 94% of people work more than 50 hours per week, with half claiming that they work over 65 hours per week in a 40-hour week. The workday has become increasingly never-ending, and even those who love their job are experiencing burnout at an alarming rate. Overdoing it at work leads to high levels of stress and it’s clear that a person’s relationships, health and happiness suffer as a result.

If you don’t want to lose out on important life moments, read our advice for maintaining a healthy work-life balance below. 

How to Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance 

It’s important to note that a healthy work-life balance for one person isn’t necessarily the perfect split for another. A person’s work-life balance depends on what they value most and where they want to spend their time outside of work. Keeping that in mind, here is our advice on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance:

Remind Yourself That You Can’t Be Perfect

Perfection simply doesn’t exist. Overachievers tend to strive for perfection and feel like a failure when they don’t accomplish every task they’re given at home or work. It’s impossible to be perfect in every area of your life and thrive at everything that you do. Avoid trying to be perfect at home and work because perfection always has and always will be unattainable. Strive for excellence and end each day knowing that you performed at your best. Trust us, that’s more than enough.

Take Time to Disconnect 

Did you know that people tend to check their email every six minutes? Business professionals feel the need to check their email around the clock and be available to their clients 24/7, which leads to burnout and feeling overwhelmed “off the clock.” We recommend turning your notifications off once you leave the office and checking your email at a designated time once you arrive home. Avoid sending emails over the weekend, so you can focus on spending quality time with the people you love.

Prioritise Self-Care 

Exercise is crucial to your mental and physical health. Whether you choose to run, swim, jog or bike, your body will release endorphins that make you feel happy and relieve stress. If you want to improve your mind, take up yoga and focus on meditating to relieve any pent up tension or anxiety. Exercising for just 30 minutes a day will make you feel healthier and happier!

Determine What Matters to You Most

Life is too short to not do what makes you happy. Stop saying yes to people or events that only lead to aggravation and stress. Decide who and what matters to you most and make time for them during the week. Have the courage to put you and your happiness first above all else.

Keep Work and Home Life Separate

When you’re home, you’re home and when you’re at work, you’re at work. Try to leave work or home worries at the door when you walk in, so you can fully focus on what needs to be done during the day. When you’re at work, strive for excellence and give everything you have to the job. When you’re at home, relax and unwind without worrying about what needs to be done in the morning. You don’t want to miss meaningful moments because your mind was somewhere else. 

Learn When to Say NO

You can’t do it all and shoulder more work than you can carry. The workday is only so long, so value and protect your time. Say no to additional tasks that you can’t fit into your calendar to avoid becoming rundown, stressed and unhappy. There is no reason to feel guilty for saying no when you already have too much on your plate as it is.

There you have it! A good work-life balance is possible when you put your mind to it. Start making little changes at home and work, and we’re confident that you’ll see a difference in your overall health, happiness and relationships. 

For more job and career advice, click here. At Recruit Mint, we’re dedicated to improving people’s lives. Whether you’re a job seeker or an employer, partner with us today. We’ll show why we’re Peterborough’s most-trusted recruitment firm! 

The Silent Dealbreaker: Why Candidates Reject Job Offers at the Last Minute

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
Picture this: after weeks of interviews, countless email exchanges, and meticulous CV screening, you've finally found the perfect candidate. The offer letter is sent, champagne is on ice—then silence. A few days later, the dreaded email arrives: "Thank you for the opportunity, but I've decided to pursue another option." Last-minute candidate rejections aren't just frustrating—they're expensive, time-consuming, and increasingly common in today's competitive job market. According to recent research by Robert Half UK, 42% of UK professionals have accepted a job offer but continued to interview for other roles. More alarmingly, 28% admitted to accepting an offer only to back out before starting. But why is this happening, and what can recruitment professionals and hiring managers do to prevent these eleventh-hour disappointments?

How Data-Driven Decision Making Can Transform Workforce Productivity

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In today's competitive business landscape, intuition and experience remain valuable, but they're no longer sufficient on their own. UK businesses facing rising operational costs, increasing competition, and a challenging economic environment can no longer afford to make critical workforce decisions based on gut feeling alone. The difference between thriving and merely surviving increasingly depends on how effectively organisations leverage data to optimise their most valuable resource: their people. According to research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) , UK productivity growth has stagnated since the 2008 financial crisis, lagging behind other G7 nations. With the April 2025 minimum wage increases looming, businesses face growing pressure to extract maximum value from their workforce investments. The good news? The rise of workforce analytics provides unprecedented opportunities to identify inefficiencies, optimise performance, and cultivate environments where employees thrive. As Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Arts (RSA), noted in the UK Government's Good Work Review : "In a world of increasing workplace complexity, the organisations that thrive will be those that measure what matters and act on the insights." This blog explores how data-driven decision making can transform workforce productivity, examining practical approaches that UK businesses are implementing today with remarkable results.

The Battle for Skilled Workers: How Manufacturing Can Compete with Other Industries for Talent

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
Manufacturing in the UK faces a talent crisis of unprecedented proportions. While the sector contributes over £191 billion to the British economy according to Make UK, it's increasingly losing its most valuable resource—skilled workers—to competing industries. This talent exodus comes at a critical moment when technological advancement demands more specialised skills than ever before. The Manufacturing Skills Gap Survey reveals a stark reality: 83% of UK manufacturers struggle to recruit appropriate talent, while 64% report losing skilled employees to other sectors—particularly technology, logistics, and renewable energy. This isn't merely a staffing challenge but an existential threat to the industry's future competitiveness and innovation capacity. "Manufacturing has an image problem that masks its reality," notes Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK. "While other sectors have successfully repositioned themselves as modern, dynamic career destinations, manufacturing continues to battle outdated perceptions that undermine its appeal to today's workforce." The good news? Forward-thinking manufacturers are finding ways to reverse this trend, implementing innovative strategies that not only stem the tide of departing talent but successfully attract skilled workers from other industries. This blog explores how manufacturing can transform its approach to talent acquisition and retention, repositioning itself as an employer of choice in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

From Passive to Proactive: How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Eliminates Recruitment Panic

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
The scenario is all too familiar: a key team member hands in their notice, triggering an immediate scramble to fill the position. Job descriptions are hastily updated, recruitment agencies engaged, and hiring managers pulled into urgent meetings—all while business continuity hangs in the balance and costs mount. This reactive approach to recruitment isn't merely stressful; it's strategically flawed. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), UK organisations take an average of 28 days to fill a vacancy, with specialist roles often exceeding 12 weeks. During this time, productivity suffers, remaining team members face increased pressure, and opportunities are missed. The alternative? Building a proactive talent pipeline—a continuously nurtured pool of engaged, pre-qualified candidates ready to step into roles as they become available. This approach doesn't just reduce time-to-hire; it fundamentally transforms recruitment from an emergency response to a strategic advantage.

The Impact of Same-Day Delivery on Warehouse recruiting: Are You Prepared?

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
The race to deliver ever faster is transforming the logistics landscape. What began as Amazon's competitive edge has evolved into an industry-wide expectation, with same-day delivery rapidly becoming the new standard rather than a premium service. For warehouse and logistics leaders, this shift creates unprecedented operational challenges—none more pressing than how to recruit, train, and retain the workforce necessary to meet these accelerated timelines. According to the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) , the demand for warehouse space has increased by 32% since 2020, driven largely by e-commerce growth and the same-day delivery paradigm. Yet while physical capacity expands, the human capital challenge grows even more acute. A recent LogisticsUK survey found that 82% of warehouse operators cite staffing as their most significant constraint in meeting same-day delivery demands. This isn't merely a challenge of hiring more people—it's about recruiting differently for roles that have fundamentally changed. As Peter Ward, former CEO of UKWA, notes: "Same-day delivery hasn't just accelerated timelines; it's transformed the very nature of warehouse work, creating new roles requiring different skills and aptitudes than traditional warehouse positions."

How to Recruit for Shift-Based Roles Without Destroying Work-Life Balance

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In today's competitive labour market, attracting quality candidates for shift-based roles presents a unique challenge for HR professionals. The CIPD Working Lives Report found that 68% of UK shift workers report negative impacts on their personal lives, yet many businesses rely entirely on shift patterns to maintain operations. The critical question becomes: how can organisations recruit effectively for these positions while preserving the well-being and work-life balance that today's workforce demands? Far from being an impossible task, creating attractive shift-based roles requires strategic thinking and innovative approaches to work design. Companies that get this right gain a significant competitive advantage in recruitment, retention, and productivity – all while supporting employee wellbeing.

Why You’re Not Getting Interviews – And How to Fix It

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
You've spent hours perfecting your CV, searching for the right opportunities, and submitting applications – yet your inbox remains frustratingly empty. If you're wondering why you're not landing interviews despite your qualifications and experience, you're not alone. Recent research from Totaljobs shows that the average job opening in the UK attracts 49 applications, with only 15% of applicants typically securing an interview. The good news? With a few strategic adjustments to your approach, you can dramatically improve your chances of making it to the interview stage. Let's examine the most common reasons applications fall flat – and the practical steps you can take to stand out from the crowd.

The Future of Engineering Leadership: What the Next Generation of Leaders Will Look Like

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In an era of unprecedented technological change, shifting workforce dynamics, and evolving industry pressures, engineering leadership stands at a critical crossroads. The traditional command-and-control approach that once dominated the sector is increasingly being replaced by more adaptive, inclusive, and technology-enabled leadership models. This transformation isn't merely a trend—it's an essential evolution for companies seeking to remain competitive in an increasingly complex global marketplace.

The Hidden Productivity Killers: How Poor Shift Planning, Meeting Overload, and Workplace Distractions Are Draining Your Profits

By Karl Montgomery • March 10, 2025
In the relentless pursuit of efficiency, UK businesses often overlook the subtle yet powerful forces quietly eroding their productivity. While organisations invest millions in cutting-edge technologies and process improvements, the most damaging productivity killers often operate in plain sight—unrecognised, unmeasured, and unaddressed. According to research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) , the UK continues to lag behind other G7 nations in productivity growth, with output per hour worked remaining stubbornly below pre-2008 financial crisis trends. What's particularly concerning is that this productivity gap persists despite significant investments in technology and equipment. So, what's truly holding UK businesses back? Our analysis of current research reveals three pervasive yet frequently overlooked productivity drains: ineffective shift planning, excessive meeting cultures, and persistent workplace distractions. Together, these hidden productivity killers could be costing your business up to £8,500 per employee annually, according to calculations based on CIPD Workplace Productivity Survey data. Let's examine each of these productivity vampires and, more importantly, how to drive a stake through their hearts.

Shift Patterns vs. Productivity: The Science Behind Workforce Scheduling

By Karl Montgomery • March 10, 2025
In UK manufacturing and production facilities, the constant hum of machinery doesn't always match the natural rhythms of the people operating them. As production demands continue to evolve in 2025, the way we structure work hours has profound implications not just for output metrics, but for the humans behind those metrics. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, approximately 3.5 million workers in the UK regularly work shifts, with manufacturing and production industries representing a significant proportion of this figure. Yet despite this prevalence, many operations managers and production directors still rely on outdated scheduling approaches that prioritise machine uptime over human performance. The consequences? Higher turnover rates (manufacturing experiences 15% higher turnover than the UK average according to Make UK's 2023 Labour Turnover Report), increased workplace accidents (37% higher in night shifts according to HSE data), and productivity plateaus that frustrate even the most experienced production managers.  Let's explore what the evidence actually tells us about shift patterns, their impact on your workforce, and how to design schedules that serve both business objectives and employee wellbeing.
Show More