“Work-life balance” is one of those buzzwords we see everywhere, like “a balanced diet.” We all know that it’s important, but we’re not all great at putting it into practice. 

A healthy work-life balance treats both your work and your personal life as valuable and important. In our hyperconnected, rise-and-grind culture, too many of us are facing burnout and fatigue caused by over-valuing our work and under-valuing our free time and mental health. Here are seven tips you can use to tip the scales back into balance.

1. Limit Your Hours Worked Per Week

Of course, this is easier said than done. If you work in an hourly position, limiting your hours worked also limits your income. But when you’re working in a kitchen or restaurant, letting yourself get overly tired increases your chances of injuring yourself. And that will also keep you out of work. 

Plus, according to Stanford researchers, you’re getting very little done by working long hours. In fact, the study shows that someone who works 70 hours per week produces virtually nothing between hours 55 and 70. You will be a better employee by working 50 hours than by working 70, and you’ll get almost as much work done. 

2. Say “No” To More Work

It’s hard to say “no” to the boss. But if you have a full workload already, it may be best both for you and the company to do so.

If you’re given a new project on top of an already packed schedule, the quality of your work is going to suffer. Ask your boss what they can take off your plate to make room, or if they can give the task to someone else. There’s nothing unprofessional about managing your workload—in fact, it’s a sign of a reliable and responsible employee.

3. Take Your Lunch Break

If you work in a position that offers a lunch break, take it! Many of us are used to working right through the mid-day meal. But your brain will benefit from the break. Read a book, chat with coworkers, or simply let your mind rest while you eat. 

4. Be Realistic About What You Can Achieve In A Day

So many of us try to fit 10 hours of work into an 8-hour day. We build enormous to-do lists that no person could possibly complete in the time allotted to them. So we work late trying to achieve it all, and we still feel like a failure when we can’t meet our own impossible expectations.

Take a realistic look at everything on your to-do list and assign a time value to each. Give yourself a little padding. If you think a task will take an hour, allot an hour and 15 minutes. Then add it all up. How many hours of work are on that list? Remember that there will be unexpected interruptions, emails, and bathroom breaks in your day as well! What can you delegate or de-prioritize to get it down to a reasonable number? Your manager or supervisor may be able to help you with this.

Try to start each day with only as many tasks on your list as you can possibly complete in that day’s work hours. 

5. Find A Hobby You Love

For some people, prioritizing free time is hard because they don’t know what to do with it. They binge Netflix or scroll Instagram, but they don’t spend that personal time intentionally. 

When you have a fun hobby that gets you fired up, it’s easier to push that email response into work hours where it belongs. That’s because you’re busy playing guitar or writing a story or rock climbing or playing soccer…

6. Put Your Phone Away At Home

When you have your phone on hand, it’s too easy to get drawn into every email notification or work-related app ping you receive. Protect your personal time by putting your phone somewhere you can’t see it

If you need to be reachable in case of an emergency, turn your ringer up so you’ll hear it from wherever you’ve stashed the phone.

7. Take Your Vacation Time

According to a fact sheet by the U.S. Travel Association, 55% of Americans didn’t use all of their paid time off in 2018. That adds up to 768 million vacation days unused

If you have paid vacation, take it! Using your vacation days doesn’t mean you have to go on an expensive trip if that’s not feasible for you. Take a staycation instead. You could go hiking, visit a local museum, catch up on some reading…but take those days to unplug and recharge.