Achieving Work-Life Balance Checklist

Run this checklist when you need to achieve a better work-life balance during the working week.

Introduction to the Achieving Work-Life Balance Checklist:

Input basic details:

Confirm where you've worked from today

Specify the day of the week

Add the person helping you's basic info

Wrap up work:

Finish any last work-related tasks

Make a task list for tomorrow

Make a task list for Monday

Confirm the hours you've worked

Close or mute work-related technology

Move to a different space to relax

Begin the journey back home

Focus on you:

Cook a healthy dinner

Spend time with family or friends

Plan this evening's enjoyable activities

Undergo your planned evening activities

Prepare for tomorrow:

Prepare tomorrow's outfit

Devote time to pre-sleep meditation

Set a wake-up alarm

Prepare for the weekend:

Create a rough weekend plan

Get a work-life balance review:

Approval: Work-life balance review

Sources:

Related checklists:

Introduction to the Achieving Work-Life Balance Checklist:

26% of work is done outside of normal working hours. This isn't conducive to a healthy work-life balance.

That's why this Achieving Work-Life Balance Checklist was created.

Think of it as a friendly coach that helps employees get the rest and relaxation they deserve.

But how, exactly, does it work?

First, employees will specify what day of the week it is and where they worked from. This will cause the checklist to dynamically adapt, thanks to conditional logic.

Then, they'll begin the process of disconnecting from work for the evening. They'll dedicate time to nourishing their bodies and minds, and then make time for whatever non-work related activities they want to do!

After that, if it's Monday - Thursday, they'll quickly prepare for the next working day and focus on getting a good night's sleep. If it's Friday, they'll create a rough weekend plan so their weekend is the best it can be.

For outsourced EAP professionals or in-house people, operations, or HR staff, give the employees you're supporting this checklist. They should launch the checklist near the end of each working day - but not on the weekends.

Here's to avoiding burnout with Process Street - state-of-the-art BPM software.

Achieving Work-Life Balance

Input basic details:

The modern employee can work wholly in an office, work partly in an office and partly at home, or entirely from home.

That's why the next task (task #3) will ask you to confirm where you worked from today.

By answering the question, the checklist will then adapt accordingly, thanks to Process Street's workflow automation feature conditional logic.

The task after that (task #4) will also change how the checklist appears, depending on which day of the working week it is.

Remember: You should launch this checklist each day of the working week (and a few minutes before you finish working). Don't launch this checklist during the weekend!

Confirm where you've worked from today

Confirm where you've worked from today.

Where you work from could vary each day.

So this checklist changes appropriately, use the dropdown below to confirm where you worked from today.

Today's work location

(Source)

Specify the day of the week

Specify the day of the week.

To have this work-life balance checklist adapt to your circumstances properly, specify what day of the working week it is via the dropdown.

If you don't work a regular Monday to Friday week, you can easily edit this template to suit your needs - just make sure it doesn't impact anyone else's checklists first!

The day of the week

Add the person helping you's basic info

Add the basic information of the person helping you.

No matter if an in-house HR staff member is helping you achieve a better work-life balance or an outsourced EAP professional is, write down the name and email of the person helping you.

If nobody from an EAP program or at work is helping you and you're undergoing this process off your own back, go ahead and delete this task as well as two later tasks titled "Get a work-life balance review" and "Approval: Work-life balance review".

This is because all three are related to approvals - something you won't need if you're going it alone.

The person helping you's name

Wrap up work:

It's time to begin the process of wrapping up work. This means finishing any last work tasks for the day, preparing a task list for the next working day, and then stepping away from your office or workspace for the evening.

Finish any last work-related tasks

Finish any last work-related tasks.

With it coming to the end of the workday, finish any last work tasks you have to do.

These tasks could be replying to time-sensitive emails or cleaning out your inbox, to completing the project you've been working on today or saving the project file in a safe, secure place.

Use the form field below to write down which last tasks you've ended the workday with.

Finished last tasks

(Source)

Make a task list for tomorrow

Make a list of work-related tasks you need to tackle tomorrow.

Thinking of what needs to be done tomorrow can stop you from enjoying 'you time' during the evening.

Rather than thinking about work this evening, use time now to list the tasks you need to tackle tomorrow.

Once you've written that list in the text form field, don't think about your work-related recurring tasks for the rest of the evening!

Tomorrow's task list

Make a task list for Monday

Make a list of work-related tasks you need to tackle on Monday.

By making a plan of what you need to get done on Monday, you'll not only be more prepared next week, but you'll also not think as much about work during the weekend - which is time for you to relax.

Write the list of tasks you need to tackle on Monday in the text box below. Then, don't think about these recurring tasks until Monday!

Monday's task list

Confirm the hours you've worked

Confirm the hours you've worked today.

Research has shown working too much can be both counterproductive and hazardous to health. That's why it's recommended you don't work over 40 hours a week.

To keep track of how much you're working - and ensure you don't unknowingly go over the threshold - use the dropdown below to confirm how long you've worked for today.

By doing this every workday, you'll notice if you're working too much.

Today's work hours

(Source)

Close or mute work-related technology

Close or mute work-related technology.

To create a division between work and leisure, you must not look at emails, Slack messages, or anything work-related after work hours.

Use the subchecklist to tick off the technology and devices you've closed or muted for the evening.

1

Work-related apps and software
2

Phone(s)
3

Computer(s)/laptop(s)
4

Additional devices (e.g. an iPad)

Move to a different space to relax

Move to a different space to relax.

For home-workers, having a separate workspace is important.

"You can work from anywhere, but that means almost everywhere can become your workplace. It’s hard to escape the work mindset and relax when you’re done without a “door” to leave it behind.

That’s why it’s vital to have separate work and living spaces. Being able to leave your work area at the end of the day and set boundaries is one of the only ways to stop your work becoming your life." - Ben Mulholland, The 19 Best Tips from My 3 Years Working Remotely

Seeing as it's the end of the working day, leave your home office or workspace and relax in a different space.

Write the name of the room you've relocated to in the text field below.

Different room name

Begin the journey back home

Begin the journey from work back home.

Working from an office is great for separating where you work and where you live. However, commutes or journeys back home are often seen as boring or tedious.

They needn't be.

Utilize this time to be mindful, listen to music, read a book, check-in with friends or family, or another enjoyable activity that isn't work-related you can do while on the move.

Use the text box below to write down the ways you've made today's commute more enjoyable.

Today's journey activities

Focus on you:

You've wrapped up work for the day and you're home. It's time to focus on yourself.

The next tasks will help you disconnect from work and reconnect with the other important parts of life.

Cook a healthy dinner

Cook a healthy dinner.

Before undertaking this evening's activities, make sure your brain, body, and stomach are nourished by making and eating a healthy dinner.

The act of cooking can be deeply relaxing and enjoyable - plus, a nutritious meal will be the end result.

Use the video below for inspiration on what to cook, then use the text box to describe the dinner you made.

Achieving Work-Life Balance

Healthy dinner description

Spend time with family or friends

Spend time with family or friends.

One method for achieving a work-life balance is to spend time (either in-person or via technology) with family or friends.

If you live with others, make an effort to talk to them and be in their company. It's mutually beneficial.

If you live alone, get in contact with friends or family members via text, phone call, or email and see how they're doing.

Write down the names of the people you spent time with below.

People you've socialized with

(Source)

Plan this evening's enjoyable activities

Plan this evening's enjoyable activities.

Take a few minutes to think about what activities you want to spend time on this evening.

Sometimes you might want to sit on the sofa and watch Netflix. At other times you'll want to focus on a hobby, learn a new skill, or finish a book.

Use the text box below to write down the enjoyable activities you're planning on undertaking this evening.

Enjoyable activities plan

Undergo your planned evening activities

Undergo your planned evening activities.

Now that you've eaten and you've spent time socializing, enjoy the rest of your evening by undergoing the enjoyable activities you planned in task #16.

No matter if you're about to play a video game, watch a movie on Netflix, learn a new language via Duolingo, or just hang out, spend the next few hours doing exactly what you want.

After, write down what you did in the text box below.

This evening's activities

(Source)

Prepare for tomorrow:

Before heading to sleep, take 30 minutes to complete the following tasks.

These tasks will help you achieve a better work-life balance as your morning won't be as rushed, meaning more time for yourself.

Prepare tomorrow's outfit

Prepare tomorrow's outfit.

No matter if you wear a suit or casual clothes to work, pick and prepare what you'll wear.

Once you've chosen what you'll wear, fold the clothes and place them in an easy-to-remember location.

Use the subchecklist below to tick off the items you've prepared.

1

Work clothes
2

Socks and shoes
3

Accessories
4

Work backpack/bag

(Source)

Devote time to pre-sleep meditation

Devote time to pre-sleep meditation.

A guided pre-sleep meditation will help you shake off the day, clear your mind, and put you in a relaxed state to sleep. (Getting enough sleep is a fundamental part of achieving work-life balance.)

Take 15 minutes to undergo pre-sleep meditation.

The video below is a guided meditation you can listen to straight away.

Achieving Work-Life Balance

Set a wake-up alarm

Set a wake-up alarm for tomorrow morning.

Before hitting the sack, set a wake-up alarm for tomorrow morning.

Use the date and time widget below to confirm when the alarm is set for.

Tomorrow's wake-up time

(Source)

Prepare for the weekend:

The next task will help you prepare and make the most of your weekend. After all, weekends should be dedicated to rest, relaxation, and indulging in other aspects of life that aren't related to your job.

Create a rough weekend plan

Create a rough weekend plan.

Just as you planned how to spend your evening in task #16, you'll now be planning your weekend. It doesn't have to be incredibly thorough; a rough plan will do.

By roughly planning your weekend, you'll be able to spend it doing the activities you want and need to do, thereby achieving a solid work-life balance.

Remember: The weekend is for non-job related activities.

Once you've got an idea, write the rough weekend plan in the text box below.

Rough weekend plan

(Source)

Get a work-life balance review:

So that the in-house HR staff member or outsourced EAP professionals know you're serious about adjusting your work-life balance with each passing day, they will review your progress in the next tasks - which is an approval task.

If you've added their information in task #5, they've been automatically assigned to the task to complete, thanks to role assignments.

There's nothing else you need to do - apart from getting some rest.

See you next time!

If you're not working alongside an in-house HR staff member or an outsourced EAP professional, remember that task #5, this task, and the following approval task can be deleted.