Have you noticed how fast modern life actually moves? You might not realise it’s happening, but in the end, when you look back, you’ll realise that it’s definitely the case, and it’s all full of notifications, deadlines, and an endless stream of small decisions that just have to be made right now. The weird part is that despite it all, not a lot of this seems all that overwhelming in isolation, but together it becomes big and painful, even though we’ve learned to treat it as normal. And yes, technology has made life easier in plenty of ways, but it’s also created a world where switching off is much harder, and you’ve usually got to plan for it. 

That’s why it’s so crucial to find the right balance between tech, work, and wellness, and although it might sound tricky to say the least, it is possible, so keep reading to find out more and get started on your balancing to make life easier and more enjoyable all around. 

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Rethink Your Relationship With Technology 

Technology is usually the first place people look when they’re overwhelmed, but the real solution isn’t just to delete everything or hide your phone – you’ve really got to understand why your tech and online habits are a problem and why they’re making your life harder, and at the same time, you can work out which habits might work better for you, so you don’t have to give everything up. After all, the world is a technological place now, and you’re not going to want to fall behind. 

The truth is that for a lot of people, tech becomes stressful because it means you don’t have enough quiet moments in the day – it’s all taken up with scrolling social media and watching videos or feeling like you’ve got to respond to every text and email right away, and so on. And you’ll reach for your phone without knowing you’re doing it, you’ll work when you’ve clocked off for the day, and you’ll probably look at your phone before you even get out of bed in the morning. 

There’s nothing wrong with all that exactly, and some people do enjoy it, but if it means you’re not relaxing enough or taking any breaks, then it’s going to cause some problems, and making little changes like putting your phone in another room for the first half hour of the day, or having set times to look at and respond to messages, and so on, can definitely help you feel less stressed and more in control. 

Work Feels Different When You’ve Got Better Boundaries 

Work has changed massively in the last few years, and you’ve now got remote jobs, flexible schedules, hybrid offices, side hustles, and creative careers that didn’t exist before, and they all come together to really blur the line between work and personal time. For example, you might finish projects from the sofa or bed, or take a work call when you’re out for a walk, and who hasn’t used the weekend to catch up on admin? Modern work might not be physically demanding exactly, but when it comes to being mentally demanding, it’s worse than ever before. 

That’s why it’s vital to put boundaries in place to help you. And those boundaries don’t mean you’ll have to work less (not necessarily, anyway), but instead it’s about using your time a lot more wisely. You could even end the day with a small closing ritual to help your brain understand that you’re done and shouldn’t even be thinking about things until the next time you clock on. The fact is that people really do underestimate how much they can gain from having good boundaries in place. 

If you’re worried that you’re never going to get anything done if you’ve got these boundaries in place, don’t be – there are tools to help you. At work you could automate various tasks and use tools like a bulk domain search to save plenty of time and make sure you get your downtime as well. At home, one key lesson to learn is that perfection isn’t important – if something didn’t get cleaned because you needed a rest or wanted to do something fun, that’s fine. 

Your Home Needs To Support You 

Your environment does more for you than you probably think – a cluttered room makes it hard to think, harsh lighting makes it hard to relax, and if you’ve not got any greenery around, or there’s no softness or warmth in your decor, you’ll probably feel more stressed than you need to all the time. 

So it’s worth thinking about what might make your home a nicer place to be because not only is that good for your overall wellbeing, but it also means you’ll want to be there more, which will reduce the temptation to work later just so you can avoid it. Some small things can really help, like adding a softer lamp to use in the evenings, or giving yourself a dedicated space for relaxation, or even just clearing your surfaces at the end (or start) of every day, and so on. In the end, when your environment takes care of you, you’ll find everything else, including balancing your life, works out better. 

Make Sure You Move 

When you think about it, modern life is a very stationary thing – we work at desks, relax on sofas, scroll in bed… we even commute sitting down (assuming we can get a seat, of course). But the thing is that the body wasn’t designed for all that stillness, and you’ve got to move to feel good. 

Now movement doesn’t have to mean a lot of intense exercise or going to the gym for hours at a time every day – it means you’ve got to move enough to make your body and mind feel a little less stressed. 
Short works are a great example of something that can help, and stretching is also worth doing (especially as you don’t have to go anywhere to do it). Even standing up once an hour can help you feel more focused and reduce aches and pains. Adding a few of these ideas or anything else that works for you throughout the day really can help you get the balance right. And if your body or mind doesn’t feel good, don’t try to push through; listen because it’s trying to tell you something.