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How Life Stressors Affect Work Productivity (and How to Achieve Work-Life Balance)

overhead shot of an employee at their desk

In a survey conducted by Harvard Business School, 94% of respondents reported working more than 50 hours per week — and with so many professionals putting in overtime at the office (and at home), it can be hard to achieve work-life balance.

If stress from work is left to build, it can eventually creep into home life and quickly snowball out of control. Productivity suffers as stress peaks. When not carefully managed, everything from work performance to personal relationships and overall health can suffer. Chronic stress weakens the immune system, leading to more sick days and an ongoing game of catch-up, and studies suggest it can even double the risk of a heart attack.

But what can you do to strike a healthy, sustainable work-life balance and escape this vicious cycle? It is possible with a bit of foresight and some ongoing deliberate effort. Here’s where to start.

Prioritize

Set manageable goals and tackle them in order of importance. Use a daily to-do list as a reference point, highlighting the urgent tasks and leaving room for flexibility on longer-term projects. Lay out your projected agenda at the onset of each week so you’re aware of and can anticipate standing meetings, deadlines, and other odds and ends. Be realistic and don’t neglect time for personal breaks throughout the day! Try not to feel guilty about getting out of the office for a 30-minute lunch break or going for a walk between meetings; these can actually serve to boost your productivity by alleviating stress and reenergizing your body and mind.

Divide and Conquer

Break large projects into small tasks you can complete in portions. This can apply to both your work and home life. For example, if you have a big presentation scheduled for the end of the quarter, you wouldn’t jump right into creating and delivering a detailed slideshow. You’d start slowly gathering data a few months or weeks in advance, make time to conduct preliminary research, and gradually add slides and talking points before practicing your delivery and refining from there. At home, if you know you’ll be hosting a large dinner party next month, you wouldn’t wait until the day before to plan the courses you’ll serve, shop for ingredients, and deep clean the house. Instead of facing complex undertakings head-on, plan ahead, divide, and conquer! Decide on appetizers and entrees first, then gradually gather table settings, get a head start on finally organizing the living room… take baby steps and you’ll be less stressed when it’s time to execute.

Take Advantage of Benefits

Does your company have a flexible work from home policy? Talk to your supervisor about working remotely once or twice a week. Are you able to work custom hours? Perhaps your management team would be open to you coming into work mid-morning and working until evening, leaving you with more time before heading to the office (for example, to eat a proper family breakfast and drop the kids off at school or daycare, or to work in a run and a shower).

Unplug After Hours

If possible, avoid taking work home with you. Designate off-the-grid hours after work and on weekends or personal holidays. Just make sure to communicate your availability with supervisors, coworkers, or clients. Turn off notifications for work messaging apps outside of business hours. Log out of work email or leave your work laptop at the office. Take this time to catch up on personal texts, phone calls, and other communication. Or, simply relax with a book or your favorite activity and unglue from screens.

Know When to Say No

As long as you stay on top of your responsibilities at work and at home, consider politely declining extra commitments. You can respectfully skip out on that optional work committee, RSVP “next time” to this month’s extracurricular book club meeting and send your well wishes, and stay home guilt-free on a Saturday night for some much-needed R&R. Taking a break and sitting one out can actually make the difference between a sharp mind and subpar work.

Make the Most of Your Personal Time

Self-care is the name of the work-life balance game. Use your free time for personal enrichment — whatever that may mean for you. Regular exercise is an effective outlet to blow off some steam and keep stress in check. Meditation or yoga can bring peace after a busy workday. You may even use your commute time to enjoy an episode of your favorite podcast, listen to your favorite music, or read a boo.

Seek Support

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your support networks for a helping hand. Outsource your responsibilities when possible. A personal assistant can help pick up the slack at home, so you’re free to honor each point on this list. Come home to a fridge full of prepped meals. Use the time you’d spend folding laundry to take a bath. Or leave for a much-needed vacation knowing your household is in good hands.

Contact Pepper’s Personal Assistants

Contact us for more information and start living a more balanced life today!

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“Sarah has been such a reliable support—always proactive, spotting things that need to be done before I even ask, and taking care of them. She has such a positive attitude and is constantly looking for ways to add value and make things easier. And I love how much happier and more spoiled my dogs are thanks to her care. I barely have to think about her day-to-day, and I mean that in the best way possible!”

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Exceptional Home Management

“Bernice is simply amazing—I just can’t say enough good things about her. She excels at physical tasks and knows my habits so well that she can anticipate my needs without me even saying anything. As a house manager, she’s exceptional; she takes care of all those little things that I wouldn’t even think of. Over time, we’ve developed a wonderful rhythm, and it’s such a relief to have someone who just knows what needs to be done and does it effortlessly.”

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Exceeding Expectations Every Day

“My PA has truly exceeded my expectations. I really enjoy coming home now because everything in my home is something I know and love. She’s helped me with tasks I didn’t even know where to begin, and her ability to do the background work and present options has been invaluable. She has made it possible for me to manage things without feeling overwhelmed, and it’s been a game changer for me!”

W.W.

Bringing Joy and Efficiency

“My PA Tess is proactive and handles everything beautifully, from small tasks that bring joy to big projects like planning trips. She balances recurring tasks with high-priority work, and everything gets done perfectly. I didn’t realize how much joy small things like making the bed could bring until Tess started doing them. She has truly made a difference in our home, bringing both efficiency and a level of organization and joy we didn’t realize we needed.”

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“Having Missa as a PA has taken me from daily treading water to swimming to the shore. I’ve gone from never quite keeping up with things to actually having extra energy to do more. She has been a tremendous help, reducing my stress and allowing me to rest and recover. The support I receive is perfect; Missa is a 5 out of 5 in meeting all my needs. I’ve already recommended Pepper’s to a few friends because having extra help makes all the difference.”

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Back-to-School Unmatched Support

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Jodi K.

Stress-Free Travel

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“My PA is incredible—an 11 out of 10—really thoughtful, thorough, intuitive. She is professional but friendly; she has just been great. A couple of times because of things going on with her calendar, Kandis has been flexible—coming 15 minutes later to drop the dog off at puppy play. She has been really great.”

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Super Happy!

“[I] really do think Kandis is setting the bar! Having a new person come into your house can go either way. [I’m] very grateful for the time and energy and people that Pepper’s has. It’s a big step; no suggestions around onboarding. [I’m] really happy that we were able to board Kandis quickly; super happy for the West Seattle support.”

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10/10 for Sure!

“Missa is a 10/10 for sure! She has been wonderful, and we check in regularly. I’m comfortable communicating with her about questions or requests, and she’s always been very responsive and also seems comfortable checking in if she has any questions for me. [The] biggest help remains pet care and household chores support, plus the help with one-off projects that come up. Missa has all kinds of skills she brings, (e.g., she’s currently putting together a ‘cat highway’ for the living room rafters).”

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Takes Initiative

“I want to mention what a fantastic personal assistant Billie is to me. We were on vacation last week, and she managed my household and vendors flawlessly. I even had her redecorate my office, and I gave her very little direction other than just to make it nice and functional, and, my goodness, did she ever! She takes initiative in my house in so many other ways but does not overstep or overspend. To strike that balance is really something unique and special. I feel really lucky to have her.”

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