Thrive in 2025 // Five Powerful Ways To Achieve The Elusive Work-life Balance

Today, Heather Broderick, Career and Burnout Coach, shares her top tips for your best work year ever.

How much of your day do you give to work? Is it average office hours or do you work evenings, weekends, breaks and holidays?

Compare this to how fulfilled you feel and how much joy your work brings you. If there is a disconnect, it is likely that you are giving more time and energy to work than it deserves.

Yes, we need a job. Yes, we may like our job. And yes, we can be grateful to have a job but does that job give you the life you want to live?

The elusive work-life balance is something most people seek. It is important to understand that this differs for everyone, but it ultimately comes down to how you feel and your limitations.

If you feel like work is the most important thing in your life and you are happy to give it all your time and effort, then go ahead. If you have a family, an active social life, a large friendship group, lots of hobbies, or other commitments, chances are you are less likely to want to give those extra hours to work. If there is an imbalance, here are my top tips for finding calm, balance and fulfilment at work in the coming year:

1.        Set boundaries

This could be about avoiding negative people, not responding to emails after a certain time, being unavailable out of working hours, calling out people who do not respect your workload or knowing your limitations when it comes to your job role. Saying no can be liberating and empowering (but keep it professional).

2.        Find time to do what you love

If you work out your values and what you want your life to look like, it could be that those things do not feature in your daily life and this needs to change. Find 30 minutes to spend time with your loved ones, watch TV to decompress, read, craft, play games, exercise, clean or have a bath. Make time to do something you love every day.

3.        Get adequate sleep

Sleep is by far the most important part of your day. We all need a different amount of sleep to feel rested and to have energy for the day, but without it we lack focus, do not eat well, have caffeine and sugar highs and lows, and do not have energy to exercise or treat our bodies well.

4.        Take control of your happiness

If you do not like your work, make 2025 the year to change that. You do not have to leave to make changes but identify what is making you unhappy and be proactive in finding some sort of fulfillment in what you do. If you try and this is not possible, start your job search as you deserve better.

5.        Keep learning

Many people only learn until they secure the job and then stop. Why? Continuous learning keeps our minds active and give us new skills to add to our CVs. Learn a language, read a self-development book, take a course, teach yourself to crochet, learn to make a website, start a business/side hustle or collaborate with inspirational people. You never know what opportunities this can bring.

Follow @heatherbroderickcoach for more tips and advice on how to gain clarity, reduce stress and navigate toxic workplaces.