5 Tips for Work-Life Balance
A few years ago, with a mentor of mine, I was discussing the events leading up to and following the departure of my longtime partner from a university she was working for. She had worked extremely hard to develop better processes for enrollment and did a lot to turn that school’s enrollment department into the positive. My mentor, a wise man, asked me, “Will that university still exist after she is gone?”.
That question stuck. Yeah, it would suck for her former employer that she wouldn’t be there anymore. Perhaps that school would have a fair number of issues moving forward, but ultimately, they’d still exist.
We grow up and go to school with dreams and aspirations of becoming politicians, leaders, scientists, healthcare workers… doctors. In the process of achieving these dreams, we often make our dream our identity. We work hard and work endlessly, and we can often get lost in working a bit too much that we can lose sight of the fact that we are all much more than our work. This is an element of burnout. My trick is to find elements of personal identity outside of the workplace.
Here are my tips for managing work-life balance:
1. Join a group or club that centers around some form of physical activity.
Chances are that if you are reading this blog, you are a practitioner in a rehab field… you are a movement scientist… so get out there and move. In my tenure as a physical therapist, I find I get the most joy performing some form of physical activity with the company of others. Since practicing, I’ve cofounded a cycling team, organized a local bike race for 3 years straight, and I’ve built a community… all by accident and while hanging out with folks outside of the industry. When talking with colleagues or staff members on what they do outside of work, the ones that tend to have some of the best work-life balance are the ones that take time to move.
2. Prioritize You…
As mentioned in my intro, the place where you work will most likely continue to exist once you’re gone. Prioritize your needs first… company needs second. You want to plan a once in a lifetime trip someplace you’ve dreamed about? Book it… go on that trip. If you have PTO to use, use it. I have spent the last 3 years taking nearly a month off to help with Race Across America (RAAM)… and I’ve always come back to my clinic still standing (although Dylan, one of our GLS instructors, almost burnt it down). Your time off is a means to allow you to reset and relax, focus on something other than units, visits, outcomes, etc.
3. Make time for family.
As our children grow up, they often have busy lives just like us. School sports, after-school programs, our partner or spouse’s sports or hobbies… your newfound socially based physical activity… all tend to take up time and can conflict with each other. In our household, we have a family dinner EVERY Sunday. This allows us to reset and be part of each other’s lives. It allows a moment to present and to know what is coming up that is important for us to attend (a family Google calendar is perfect for this).
4. Read, draw, create…
We often forget that our brains have discrete areas responsible for creativity, problem solving, and logic… we are often stuck in the latter of those three. Do something creative from time to time. Pick up a pottery class, start a doodle journal, or just journal. Pick up a new book from the library and immerse yourself in a different world for a few hours. In our household we tend to have a few nights where we play board games. Exercise the other side of your brain.
5. Go to an in-person continuing education course.
I know, it’s a bit of a shameless plug, but if you go to a course on a new subject you can delve into a bit of the abovementioned tips. An example of this is a few of my colleagues have made vacation trips out of continuing education, they plan for a 4 day or so trip someplace new and bring their significant others and even the kids (if appropriate). Yeah, it might seem kind of lame to get your CEUs while on a “mini-vacation”, however every time I attend a course outside of my home region I learn so much about the world, meet new people and create friendships, and get to experience different cuisines and cultures. To me, that is a cool thing to share with family.
These tips are not absolute, nor are they the only ones that can help you succeed and have a lifelong career in the rehab industry, free from burnout. However, I hope that you can use one or two of them to help you create a framework on how to live a life in balance between your work self and… yourself!
Questions? Check out these FAQs!
Work-life balance refers to maintaining a healthy separation and harmony between your professional responsibilities and personal life. It’s important because it helps reduce burnout, improves mental and physical health, and supports long-term career satisfaction.
Rehab professionals often face high productivity demands, emotional investment in patient outcomes, and long work hours. Over time, this can blur personal identity and increase the risk of burnout if intentional balance isn’t prioritized.
Engaging in physical activity (especially in group or social settings) supports stress relief, mental clarity, and overall well-being. Movement outside of work helps reinforce personal identity beyond your profession.
Having interests outside of work helps prevent your job from becoming your entire identity. This separation supports emotional resilience, creativity, and perspective, which ultimately makes you a better clinician and a more fulfilled person.
Yes! Especially in-person continuing education. Courses can provide a change of environment, opportunities for connection, and renewed enthusiasm for clinical practice, particularly when paired with travel or time away from routine.
Start with one manageable change: schedule regular movement, protect one personal commitment each week, plan upcoming time off, or dedicate time to a creative or social activity you enjoy.
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