In today’s fast-paced, high-tech world, the line between work and personal time often can blur. For example, it can become routine to check work email during off hours. However, maintaining work-life balance needs to be a priority for wellbeing and productivity.

There are numerous opportunities to integrate flexibility into our daily lives. Fully remote, hybrid, or other types of working structures enable us to reduce our commute times and have greater choice in deciding where to live. Working parents have more flexibility when it comes to picking up or dropping off children from school, and there is greater ease when making what can be hard-to-schedule appointments, such as doctor’s visits or home repairs.

Yet with increased flexibility, there can be a risk, either real or perceived, to blur the lines between work and personal time. Here are three tips to help improve your work-life balance so you can live your personal and professional life to their fullest:

• Create a To-Do List. Sure, this seems like a no-brainer. But spending a little bit of organizational time at the start or end of each day is a great investment into your productivity, which then allows for more freedom in your day overall. Try adding specific time blocks to your daily tasks and sticking to that schedule to get things done.
• Unplug during non-work hours. Smartphones and tech platforms like What’s App or other chat functions make it easy to stay connected 24/7. And while this is great in some instances, or for true work emergencies, on a regular basis it’s a good idea to carve out time to be fully disconnected from work.

• Prioritize time for yourself. Regardless of your phase in life, it’s likely that you are pulled in different directions by different people throughout the week. So, in addition to making time to be a good teammate, friend, or relative, be sure to spend time focusing on just yourself–whether it be a one-hour walk or a whole day of doing something that brings you fulfilment.

For more advice on creating—and sustaining—work-life balance, read the blog, “7 Work-Life Balance Tips.”