5 ways to improve your work/life balance, according to work psychologists

• Work psychologists Tina Aramsu and Eleni Giannakoudi run the 'The Happy 9 to 5' blog.
• They shared tips for minimizing burnout and creating a healthy work/life balance.

If you feel like work is taking over your life, you're not alone.

In its global trends report for 2024, consulting firm Mercer said 82% of employees surveyed said they felt at risk of burning out this year.

Tina Aramsu and Eleni Giannakoudi, work psychologists who run the blog "The Happy 9 to 5," gave Business Insider five tips for improving your work/life balance and avoiding burnout.

1. Manage your free time as you would your work time

Your hobbies and time for relaxing need dedicated slots in your schedule, much like you would designate time for a meeting or a doctor's appointment, said Giannakoudi.

She said people should ask themselves what their priorities and values are and what they need to feel content with how they live their lives.

"Once you become very aware of the different areas of your life and their priority, then it's easier to use this as a compass, basically, to plan your week, plan your days, and make decisions," she added.

She also said that having time to recharge outside work could result in better performance and outcomes in the workplace.

2. Try to minimize how much you talk about work during your free time

It's also crucial to keep work talk to a minimum once you've logged off, said Armasu.

Armasu said that talking about work too much can lead to lingering worries about performance or deadlines creeping into your personal time.

You should aim to only talk about work in your free time if it's something to celebrate, she added.

"We always want to celebrate those, regardless of how big or small it is," said Armasu, adding that this was one of the best ways employees can stave off imposter syndrome.

3. Be sure chores aren't the only commitment of your free time

Giannakoudi said it was crucial to dedicate at least part of your free time to something you enjoy rather than what you feel obligated to complete.

Your chores need doing, but you should try to also do things that make you feel happy, more energized, and more fulfilled, the pair said.

Too much time spent on chores makes you feel like your schedule is out of your control, they added.

4. If your job has flexible hours, plan to optimize the time you're going to have off

If your job has more flexible hours, Giannakoudi and Armasu said it was important to take control of the time you know you will have off.

"If your job requires you to be flexible, then it's really important to look at the times during the week or day that you do have control over and optimizing those," said Giannakoudi.

If your mornings are important to you, Giannakoudi said you should plan them to help you feel more in control of the day ahead, even if you aren't sure what that might look like.

Giannakoudi said she woke up between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. as that suits her chronotype — the personal system that organizes your sleep, eating, and productivity schedules based on when you are most naturally energized.

"For me, breakfast is the one thing that I need in the morning to change from day to work, said Giannakoudi, adding she eats, gets ready, and "slowly transitions into everything else."

5. Communicate boundaries to colleagues and managers

Setting boundaries for your working hours is important to ensure that your working day has a finite end — even if other staff normally rely on you if something goes wrong out of hours, Giannakoudi said.

"Clearly communicate this with your colleagues and supervisors because then they also know what to expect if you're unavailable," she added.

"Just being clear and open can really go a long way," she added.

Aramsu and Giannakoudi also emphasize that your "non-negotiables" are personal — each person has their own obligations, just as each job has its own requirements.

For those who find themselves caving to overly demanding supervisors, Armasu recommended "small tweaks" like turning off notifications on work-related apps outside working hours and turning on your out-of-office when you're unavailable.

Armasu said it was possible to have a health work/life balance even working an "intense" job.

"You can take back the control. Where you have control, you can still do something," she added.