Work Life Balance (T-SQL Tuesday #141)

Foreword 🔗︎

This is an important topic which I have been tackling for the past year.

I have been feeling like I don’t have enough time for myself or my hobbies. I got advice to keep track of the time spent and analyze it later.

This is the graph that I got and it shows things haven’t been bad at all like I made them out to be.

While my job is pretty great and I clock off exactly after 8 hours, it doesn’t stop there. It’s still in the back of your mind.

And SQL is not just my job, it is my hobby as well. I wanted to learn in my free time, experiment, maybe blog about it, etc. But when anything got in a way, I got frustrated. These are my lessons learned that will hopefully help someone else as well.

1. Manage your expectations 🔗︎

I think this is the most important one. I’ve set too many goals for myself, wanted to overachieve. When anything unplanned happened I fell short of my target and blamed myself. Admit some things are beyond your control and you won’t feel as much pressure.

2. Get enough sleep 🔗︎

Sleep is the main way of recharging. If you don’t start your day well-rested it will affect you. I found having a routine helped a lot, but I struggle to keep at it.

As for the sleep, maybe try out a white noise generator or dark blinds, new pillow/mattress - experiment and find out what works for you. It’s also good to limit the blue light exposure before sleep. I haven’t sacrificed my computer/phone time but instead installed the yellow tint which should be easier on the eyes.

3. Take some time off 🔗︎

Some people like watching sports, some like television or games, scroll endlessly through social media - the point is everyone is different. Allow yourself some rest otherwise, you will be burned out. The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted.