Managing healthy work-life boundaries is a challenge for all of us. It’s incredibly challenging in Singapore, where we’re constantly on the go and have a lot of demands on our time. For many corporate warriors, taking a break from checking their emails and various social messaging applications is hard. They might feel they’re missing out when they are not on their phones, trying to solve the latest crisis at work.
But stepping away from work is essential, especially when you need to gain a new perspective to solve a problem. Even students can benefit from setting firm work-life boundaries because they also need time to recharge from their studies. There are many ways to take a break, be it a simple walk in the park, a yoga session, playing some games or even training in martial arts! Anything that distracts you from your current workload while giving you a breather.
Here are some tips that might help you manage your work-life boundaries:
1) Take Regular Breaks During Work To Relax And Recharge
Now that borders are mostly open worldwide, it’s time to pack your luggage and search for a resort where you can relax. But if traveling is impossible, you can always find a way to schedule time for rest within a busy work schedule.
One way is to schedule short breaks into your day. For example, if you work at home, get up and move around every couple of hours. If you’re working in an office, take some time out at lunchtime or after work. You can use apps such as Calm or Headspace, which have mini mindfulness practices to help you close your eyes and concentrate on breathing for 5-10 minutes.
These short rest periods can help you feel better and more focused at work. However, while taking these short breaks, be firm and schedule them into your calendar. Better still, influence your colleagues and bosses into taking these short breaks with you. It can boost office productivity and defuse tension, especially when deadlines are close!
2) Limit The Time You Spend On Social Media
To set healthy work-life boundaries, you must finish your work at the office instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media. This is challenging, especially when you need more time and have a huge project. According to experts, one of the reasons why we procrastinate is because we fear the task and give in to short-term gratification. Because there’s always something happening on social media, we feel that it gives us a rush that we can’t get from starting the project. However, this leads to procrastination cycles, and one may work well into the night or on weekends without rest.
One way to break this habit is to limit your time on social media. You can either physically lock your phone away at work or use apps on your phone to limit your time on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. These apps usually track your screen time and restrict your time on these social media platforms. When you can finish your tasks on time, you’re more likely to leave your office earlier and have more time to indulge in your hobbies!
3) Exercise Regularly!
Exercise helps you set work-life boundaries by giving you dedicated “me-time,” boosting focus, creativity, and mental clarity.
Exercise can help you improve your work-life boundaries in many ways. Firstly, it’s one of the best ways to gain some alone time. When you feel like your work is taking over your life, set time aside to work out. Whether you punch out your frustrations in a martial arts class or head to a gym to lift weights, the action will give you time to think about what’s important – and what’s not.
When you’re in the middle of a session, there’s no room for multitasking or distraction. You have to be present at the moment and focused on what you’re doing. This focus can help you at work when you need to be productive. Exercise also gives you a rush of dopamine, a ‘happy hormone’ that makes you more creative. So if you need creative ideas, working out will help you.
Furthermore, if you choose a top martial arts gym in Singapore like Evolve MMA, which has all the facilities you need (such as gym equipment, shower rooms, and lockers), you don’t have to worry about going out of the gym to change. This helps to keep you in the zone so you can think clearly about your life, uninterrupted.
4) Learn A New Skill That’s Unrelated To Work
Learning a new skill outside of work creates mental space, relieves stress, sparks excitement, and boosts confidence—benefits you can carry into your personal and professional life.
Learning a new skill unrelated to work can help with work-life boundaries because it lets you create space between your professional and personal life. When you’re learning something new, you can’t help but think about it when you’re not working on it. You’ll find yourself thinking of ways to apply what you’re learning at work or how you could use it in your personal life. This can help distract you from whatever stressors are going on in your professional life since it’s something new and exciting for your brain to focus on.
Another reason learning a new skill can set better boundaries is that it allows you to find a new passion that isn’t related to your job. For example, if you take self-defense classes, you may learn how to properly execute a roundhouse kick in Muay Thai or grapple in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Practicing until you are good at it can be very exciting. You can bring that winning feeling to the workplace when you finally achieve it. In addition, it will give you the confidence to also perform at work or school! In this article, check out how learning martial arts can benefit your life.
5) Prioritise Your Time
To set strong work-life boundaries, prioritize what matters most whether it’s career growth or time with loved ones, and ensure your choices align with your well-being and values.
Last but not least, to set firm work-life boundaries, you need to prioritize your time. For those of us who are keen to climb the corporate ladder, it’s difficult to refuse a vital role or take up fewer projects. So you’ll need to find a way to prioritize what’s important to you. Perhaps it’s more important to work hard at your career now and less important to hang out with your friends every Friday night.
Reprioritizing tasks is also challenging for working parents as they have family responsibilities and are simply juggling too many things on one plate. For example, you might work to do well at work but also want to spend time with your children. This makes you feel guilty when you choose one over the other.
One way is to stack what you value upon a habit that you already have, a practice that the author of Emotional Agility, Susan Davids, recommends. For instance, if you love exercising at your boxing class, find a martial arts gym with a children’s program. You can exercise with your children nearby and spend time with them on their martial arts techniques!
You should also rethink if a new career-boosting role makes you so stressed out that it impacts your ability to do your job well or takes away time with your family or friends. As ex-Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Arden says, sometimes you just do not have enough in your tank to carry on!
Set Healthy Work-Life Boundaries By Picking Up Self-Defence Skills At Evolve MMA
Evolve MMA has boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts classes in a world-class facility. When you work out at Evolve MMA, expect to challenge yourself under experienced instructors who will push you to do your best.
So carve time out to better yourself in Singapore’s top mixed martial arts gym. With multiple timeslots and locations, you’ll be able to find a time and place that suits your schedule best. Instead of spending your time after work scrolling mindlessly on social media or shopping, why not book a class at Evolve MMA and unleash the warrior within you today?
Book your complimentary trial class with our World Champions below!
If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:
Evolve MMA (Far East Square)
26 China Street
Far East Square #01-01
Singapore 049568
Phone: (65) 6536 4525
Evolve MMA (Orchard Central)
181 Orchard Road
#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: (65) 6536 4556
Evolve MMA (KINEX)
11 Tanjong Katong Road
#02-52 KINEX
Singapore 437157
Phone: (65) 6288 2293
Evolve MMA (Star Vista)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590
