10 Ways to Improve Your Work/Life Balance

Work-life balance improves when you protect specific hours: say no to extra tasks, switch off after work, take real breaks and share the load. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) found that working 55 or more hours a week carries about a 35 percent higher stroke risk than working 35 to 40 hours, so the hours are not a matter of taste.

Updated October 11, 2026.

After years of training people and leading meditation sessions, I have noticed that the people who struggle most treat rest as a reward for finishing everything. The list never finishes. Balance comes from deciding where the day ends before the work does.

Learn to say no to protect work-life balance

Saying no is a skill, and most committed professionals find it hard. Start by listing what your week already holds. Every yes to something minor takes time from something you have already ranked higher. Say no to the lower-ranked request, plainly and early.

Take short breaks during the workday

The American Psychological Association (APA) says recovery requires switching off, meaning stretches when you are neither doing work nor thinking about it, and that turning off your smartphone and focusing on nonwork activities can give a quick boost. Keep it simple. Stand up between meetings, refill your water, or step outside for two minutes.

Use your lunch break

If your job gives you a lunch break, take it away from your desk. A walk counts toward the CDC’s adult target of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, which the agency says could be 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Eat slowly. If stress runs high, use the time for a few minutes of breathing exercises.

Ask for flexibility to improve work-life balance

Capable people often avoid asking for help because they do not want to bother anyone, or because they believe nobody else will do it right. Asking invites others to share the work. Options to raise with a manager include job sharing, flextime and a shorter workweek.

The WHO and ILO suggest that employees share work hours so that no one climbs to 55 or more a week, and that employers and workers agree on a maximum number of working hours.

Prioritize your health

Three numbers give you a floor. The CDC recommends adults aged 18 to 60 sleep 7 or more hours a night. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, plus muscle-strengthening on at least 2 days. Use your paid time off, too. The APA’s advice is blunt: don’t let your vacation days go to waste.

Practice self-compassion

Perfectionism often helps early in a career and costs more every year after. The APA links chronic work stress to anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, depression, obesity and heart disease. You will not do everything perfectly, and a good-enough week is allowed to count.

Set boundaries that protect work-life balance

The APA recommends concrete limits, such as not checking email from home in the evening and not answering the phone during dinner, and says clear boundaries between work and home can reduce work-life conflict and the stress that goes with it.

Tell coworkers and clients your working hours. An email autoresponder that says you are offline and when you will reply keeps you from monitoring your inbox all evening.

Invest in relationships

The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on social connection says lacking connection can raise the risk of premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. It cites a 26 percent higher risk of premature death from loneliness and 29 percent from social isolation. Unplugging after work is what gives you the attention to spend on people.

Put quality time first

Write down which hobbies and people add to your life and which drain it. A values exercise or an Ikigai worksheet can help. Then look honestly at how you spend your hours, give priority to the high-value ones and protect free time for recovery.

Start small: build work-life balance one tiny habit at a time

BJ Fogg, the Stanford behavior scientist who created the Tiny Habits method, designs habits to be so small and easy that you have no reason to skip them. The AHA gives similar advice for activity: set a reachable goal and build up, because any amount of movement is better than none. Pick one change this week, such as a phone-free dinner or a ten-minute walk.

Work-Life Balance FAQ

What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance is how you divide your time and attention between paid work and everything else, including family, friends, rest and hobbies. It is a trade-off, not an even split. The APA says clear boundaries between work and home can reduce conflict between the two and the stress it causes.

How many hours a week is too many to work?

The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization found that working 55 or more hours a week carries about a 35 percent higher stroke risk and a 17 percent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease than working 35 to 40 hours. They suggest sharing work hours so no one climbs to 55 or more a week.

How do I set boundaries with work email?

The APA suggests limits like not checking work email from home in the evening and not answering the phone during dinner. Tell coworkers your working hours, and use an autoresponder that says when you are offline and when you will reply, so you can stop monitoring your inbox.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.