Your schedule may not revolve around school-age kids, but that doesn’t mean your social life is booming. In fact, single and childless adults are reporting the same struggles with work-life balance as their colleagues with families, according to a new study in the Journal of Vocational Behavior.
Researchers from Michigan State University conducted two surveys reaching over 5,000 alumni, and they found that work-life struggles were largely the same—regardless of whether or not the individuals had families at home.
“Organizations often talk about work-family balance,” says study co-author Ann Marie Ryan, PhD, professor of psychology at MSU. “But we really don’t measure the other aspects of how work interferes with life and how individuals who don’t have families deal with this.”
Across the board, respondents reported feeling that their heavy workloads interfered with their ability to take care of everyday things—like going to doctor’s appointments, working out, volunteering, making or maintaining relationships, and of course, any leisure activities.
So how can you have it all, so to speak? For starters, check out these tips to get a better handle on your work-life balance:
Set realistic limits for yourself
Whether it’s abstaining from work email on the weekends or only staying late at the office one night a week, implementing small, doable goals is a great place to start when you’re having trouble cutting yourself off. Not sure the goals will help? Or that you’ll actually be able to stick with them? Try to think of them as an experiment to see what works for you and what doesn’t. “People are more willing to commit to trying something out in the short term,” Ryan says. If it works for you—and your boss—stick with it. If it doesn’t, no biggie—just try something a little different next time.
Take those vacation days
Friends, family members, and social obligations aren’t the only things you sacrifice when you have a crazy work schedule: Tons of people in the study also reported missing out on leisure time. “The research on recovery really says that you need it,” Ryan says. “You feel so much more productive and focused afterward.” Even if you feel like you can’t afford to miss an entire week at the office, just take a Wednesday here or a long weekend there to give yourself some time to hit refresh.
Call for backup
Now that you’re ready to take a day off, stop beating yourself up about it. “People tend to think of themselves as being indispensable,” Ryan says. Most likely, things won’t fall apart without you. But even if they would, that’s not your fault. All companies should have systems in place to keep that from happening. “Have that conversation with your boss about someone being able to back you up,” Ryan says. “It’s hard, especially in workplaces where people are short-staffed and under stress, but there has to be a way to make that work.” If all else fails, establish a system with one of your coworkers so that you two can cover for each other whenever one of you needs a day off.
Talk flexibility
A killer commute can make long hours even worse. If telecommuting is something you dream about, you’re not alone: 53 percent of working adults felt they would get more work done if they could work from home occasionally, according to a 2012 survey by Mom Corps, a flexible staffing firm. So if you work for a company that hasn’t explicitly ruled it out, try bringing it up to your team—cautiously. “The most important thing is to do it in a way that shows it has a benefit for both you and your employer,” says Allison O’Kelly, Founder and CEO of Mom Corps. Her advice: Go to your boss with a solution (you’ll work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, getting more work done), be open to other options (starting out with just one day a week, for example), and ask for a trial period to test it out. Finally, check in often when you’re working remotely. “Make sure you’re present, whether you’re physically there or not,” O’Kelly says.
Prioritize the things you love
Sure, your swamped schedule might mean that Thursday happy hours are out of the question—but that doesn’t mean you should sulk about your dwindling social life. Make adjustments so that the important people in your life know that you still have time for them, Ryan says. You may not have time to reconnect with your college roommate over dinner, but you can schedule sex with your guy or swap girls’ night out for a Sunday brunch. Look for creative ways to max out the free time that you do have—and don’t stress about bailing on the things that don’t matter as much.
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Love Your Job
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